Can be distinguished from its congeners by possessing the following unique combination of characters: body dark brown, dorsum with 8-9 light brown bars, side with bars interrupted to form irregular shaped blotches, head dorsum brown with thin light brown reticulate pattern; absence of secondary rostrum; absence of sublacrymal groove; presence of deep postoral pouch; presence of subopercular groove; gill slit slanted, gill opening above 5th pectoral branched fin ray; pectoral fin origin level about half of eye; an elongate rounded snout when viewed dorsally; abdomen without scales; lateral line with 86-95 scales; pectoral fin not overlapping anterior of pelvic fin; pelvic fin not overlapping anal fin origin, adpressed dorsal fin not overlapping level of anal fin origin (Ref. 57871).