Body has an ovoid shape. The teeth in the upper jaw are small and closely spaced towards the back. The lower jaw teeth are large and widely spaced, ranging from 8 to 18 on the blind side of the lower jaw. The gill rakers are longer than they are broad, numbering between 9 and 13 on the lower limb of the 1st gill arch. Scales on the side with eyes are ctenoid while those on the blind side are cycloid. The background color of the side with eyes is brownish, featuring a varied pattern of dark spots but always with a large black blotch and one or two smaller dark spots along the lateral line.