The body is rhomboid and compressed, with a depth of 2.0–2.5 in standard length; both dorsal and ventral profiles are equally convex. The head and breast are scaleless, and the teeth are small and weak.In terms of coloration, the back is greenish-grey, and the belly is silvery with black dots all over the ventral half of the body. There is a golden hue on the dorsal half of the body and on the head, with very faint vertical lines above the lateral line that vanish with growth. The tip of the snout is black. The distal half of the anal fin is golden yellow from the 2nd spine onwards, and there is a broad yellow band over the lateral line, gradually disappearing on preservation.