This fish is characterized by the lower margin of the eye being tangent to a line from the tip of the snout to the upper base of the pectoral fins. There are 3–5 pairs of small recurved canines anteriorly in the upper jaw, and both the pectoral and pelvic fins reach between the level of the anus and the origin of the anal fin. In terms of coloration, the body is pinkish with silvery white below and a yellow stripe on either side of the ventral midline. The dorsal fin is translucent pinkish with a reddish margin, the anal fin is translucent with a faint yellow or orange stripe from near the base of the first spine to the middle of the last ray, and the caudal fin is pink with the upper tip and caudal filament in yellow.