Body a strongly compressed oval disc; mouth small, at end of a short (~ 2x eye), pointed snout; teeth long and slender; dorsal fin with XI-XIIII, 22-25; anal fin III, 17-19, 2nd spine longer than 3rd; rear edges of dorsal and anal fins bluntly angular; tail edge straight to rounded; scales rough, covering dorsal and anal fins as well as head and body; lateral line in a high arch, incomplete (ends under dorsal fin); 35-44 lateral line scales.
Body and fins bright yellow, shading to brown on upper back; a black bar from forehead through eye, with white bar immediately behind; an oblique black bar angled from upper edge of opercle to back of spiny dorsal; thin oblique brown lines on lower body; a black bar from soft dorsal onto tail base.
