arbels on edge of lower and upper lips. Mouth wide, subterminal. Upper and lower lips fleshy, with similar size and bearing large and conspicuous papillae. Lower lip with lateral rounded fleshy lobes. Mental region with small papillae. Gill membranes united to isthmus anteriorly. Nine branchiostegal rays not visible through thick skin. Opercular and interopercular patches of odontodes with 17–19 and 30–34 conic and irregularly arranged odontodes, respectively. Odontodes surrounded by thick integument making smaller ones not visible through skin.
Laterosensory canals with simple (non-dendritic) tubes ending in single pores. Nasal and frontal canals of supraorbital line fused to each other, with three pores (s1, s3, and s6); one paratype with extra pores between pores s3 and s6 on both sides and one paratype with four pores between pores s3 and s6 on left side. Posterior segment of frontal, sphenotic, and otic canals fused to each other. Antorbital segment of infraorbital line absent. Sphenotic canal with two pores (i10 and i11). Otic, postotic and scapular canals with preoperculo-mandibular and pterotic branches short, each one with one associated pore. Trunk canal with 4–7 pores; fourth pore located at vertical through mid-length of pectoral fin.
Pectoral fin with i,7 rays (i,7) and rounded distal margin; third branched ray longest; first one not prolonged as filament. Dorsal fin located posteriorly to mid-length of body and inserted in a conspicuous concavity of dorsal surface of body. Dorsal fin with two or three unsegmented rays; ii,7 (ii,7) with distal margin rounded; first branched ray longest. Dorsal-fin pterygiophores eight, first one inserting anterior to neural spine of 16th or 17th vertebra (16th). Anal fin smaller in size than dorsal fin; anterior insertion located slightly posterior to dorsal-fin base. Anal fin with two unsegmented rays; i,5 rays (i,5) with distal margin rounded; first branched ray longest. Anal-fin pterygiophores six, first one inserting anterior to haemal spine of 21st or 22st vertebra (21st). Pelvic fin inserted anterior to vertical through dorsal-fin origin, not covering urogenital opening. Pelvic-fin rays i,4 (i,4); third and fourth rays longest; contralateral medial rays not overlapping in relaxed fins. Caudal fin with i,5 rays on upper hypural plate and i,6–7 rays on lower hypural plate (Fig 3) (i,6) with distal margin straight to slightly rounded. Smaller specimens (less than 67.3 mm SL) with anteriormost three caudal-fin rays of upper hypural plate slightly longer. Upper caudal plate with hypurals 4 and 5 fused together and hypural 3 autogenous; lower caudal plate with parahypural, hypurals 1 and 2 fused (Fig 3). Procurrent caudal-fin rays thickly ossified and rigid; 31–35 dorsally (holotype 34) and 13 ventrally (13) (Fig 3). Dorsal procurrent caudal-fin rays extending over tips of thirteen neural spines (13) and ventral procurrent caudal-fin rays extending dorsal to tips of five to six hemal spines (Fig 3) (holotype six). Vertebrae 37–38 (38). Ribs 11–12 pairs (11); first to sixth rib thicker.
Color in alcohol.
Sides and dorsal surface of body and head with marbeled color pattern composed of black blotches irregular in shape and size, overlapped by superficial layer of small and less pigmented spots over pale yellow background, forming marbled color pattern (Fig 1). Blotches of dorsal surface of body and head larger, becoming smaller towards to ventrolateral region. Ventral surface of head and anteriormost portion of trunk pale yellow. Ventral surface of caudal peduncle region with inconspicuous and faint black blotches. Barbels with scattered black blotches dorsally and pale yellow ventrally. Opercular and interopercular patches of odontodes pale yellow. Pectoral, dorsal and anal fins with black blotches in proximal portion and whitish band distally. Pelvic fin hyaline with few inconspicuous black blotches. Caudal fin with black blotches in proximal portion becoming inconspicuous towards distal margin.
Color in life.
Overall coloration of specimens in life similar to specimens afte