The mouth is relatively small, with the length of the upper jaw smaller than the distance between the base of the last dorsal and anal fin rays. Vomerine teeth on the roof of the mouth form a V-shaped or triangular patch without a medial posterior extension, and there are no teeth on the tongue. Scale rows on the back rise obliquely above the lateral line, and the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. There are 18–19 gill rakers on the 1st gill arch. The overall coloration is pink or red, including the fins, and juveniles may exhibit a broad, oblique, black band from the mouth to the beginning of the dorsal fin, along with a large black spot at the base of the caudal fin. Additionally, there are often narrow red stripes present.