No pit on top of head behind eye; teeth on center of roof of mouth but not on sides; longitudinal ridge under eye with 2-3 spines, sometimes another row of spines below those; a small slit present or absent behind last gill arch; dorsal fin XIII, 10 rays; anal III, 5; last dorsal and anal rays branched; pectoral 18 rays, some rays branched, the lower 10 unbranched and thickened, longest rays in center; scales rough, head usually scaly; skin flaps absent on scales of body; small spiny rays at top and bottom of base of tail fin.
Blotchy or mottled brown to red, often with 3-5 irregular dark bars on side; a white bar below eye extending across upper jaw; a prominent blackish spot on lower part of gill cover.
Size: reaches 15 cm.
Inhabits reef crevices.
Depth: 1-50 m.
Southern California through the Gulf of California to Peru and all the oceanic islands.
