The body is robust, moderately deep and somewhat compressed. Scales in front of the dorsal fin extend forward to approximately the middle of the eyes and are not distinguishable into separate patches. Pectoral fin has 18 rays and its length is equal to that of the head. The teeth are small, conical, mostly arranged in a single row and similar in both jaws. Small fish exhibit a brownish mottled or banded pattern while adults are uniformly colored, appearing almost black.