The dorsal profile of the head is steeply sloped. The preorbital bone is broad, much wider than the eye diameter, and the preopercular notch and knob are well developed. The vomerine teeth form a V-shaped patch without a medial posterior extension, and the tongue is toothless. The caudal fin is distinctly forked with rounded lobes. Scale rows on the back rise obliquely above the lateral line, and there are 25–30 gill rakers on the 1st gill arch. The coloration is red or grey, darker on the back and upper portion of the head, with an orange hue on the lower part of the opercle and in the pectoral fin axil. The fins are red or frequently dark brown to blackish, and juveniles have a large round black spot at the base of the caudal fin.