Elongate, with a narrow tail base; head long; snout short; eye large (= snout); mouth large, reaches under rear edge of pupil; tip of lower jaw a little projecting; preoperculum finely serrated; gill rakers long & slender, ~ 16 lower rakers; dorsal X, 12, spines weak, flexible, low, increasing in length to the 4th then decreasing to 9th; anal fin III,7, spines weak, 3rd longest, ~ 2/3 length of 1st ray, which is the longest; pectorals long and narrow, reaching from of anal fin; tail fin concave; scales large, rough, those on opercle largest; lateral line ~ 48 scales.
Head and body pale tan; throat and belly white; preoperculum with small dark dots; operculum with a large blue-grey blotch; about 6 irregular bars on upper body, last on base of tail, second bar with a dark blotch on lateral line above pectoral fin; first dorsal with yellowish margin, centers of membranes between spines blackish; second dorsal with blackish margin and blackish stripe along its base; pectoral and pelvic fins yellowish; tail and anal fins mainly clear.
Size: reaches 24.5 cm.
Habitat: lives on soft bottoms.
Depth: 75-265 m.
From southern California to the western Gulf of California; central Mexico to western Panama; the Galapagos and Cocos Island.
