ABSTRACT
Body depth contained 2.4–2.6 times in standard length (in fish 10–50 cm SL). Head length 2.3–2.4 times in standard length; interorbital area convex; preopercle rounded, finely serrate, the serrae at the angle enlarged but covered by skin; upper edge of operculum distinctly convex. Gill rakers 10 or 11 on upper limb, 14–17 on lower limb, 25–27 total. Dorsal fin with 9 spines and 17 rays; adults with 2nd to 4th dorsal-fin spines greatly elongated and the interspinous membranes deeply incised; anal fin with 3 spines (the 3rd longest) and 9 rays; pectoral-fin rays 18 or 19; pelvic-fin origin anterior to lower end of pectoral-fin base; pelvic fins shorter than pectoral fins; caudal fin rounded. Midlateral-body scales ctenoid; distal parts of soft dorsal, anal and caudal fins without scales; lateral-line scales 61–64; lateral-scale series 93–98.
