The exposed head shield of this fish is rough to granular, with convex sides and an apex of the supraoccipital process that is more oblong than triangular. The snout is conical, and the eyes have a free orbital margin. The palate features two patches of granular teeth on each side, arranged longitudinally, with an oval shape for the anterior patch and broadly oval or pear-shaped for the posterior patches. Some individual teeth may be lost from these patches. The fish has three pairs of barbels and 9-12 total gill rakers on the first gill arch, with no rakers on the hind aspects of the first two gill arches. The adipose fin is very small, and the body is bluish-grey above and white below. The pectoral and pelvic fins are dusky, the adipose fin has a black patch, and the dorsal fins have blackish margins. The largest recorded size is 38 cm in standard length.