Stout bodied; tail a little > ½ TL; front nostrils tubular, rear nostrils a hole at upper profile level; teeth pointed, conical, not serrated; 2 rows of teeth on side top jaws, outer row smaller, 5 rows at front; lower jaw with 2 rows at front; dorsal and anal fins covered with skin, but clearly evident; dorsal fin origin before gill opening;
Light brown at front, finely spotted with dark brown; body with 5 rows of small dark brown blotches that tend to line up vertically forming diffuse bars, blotches larger at rear; margin of tail yellowish.
Size: reaches 47 cm.
Habitat: rocky bottoms.
Depth: 1-10 m.
Widespread in the tropical Indo-Pacific from East Africa to the Americas; in the eastern Pacific known from Costa Rica and western Panama, and Clipperton, Cocos and the Galapagos.
