Dorsal profile as a gentle slope to first dorsal fin base; 3 pairs of barbels around mouth, the maxillary pair extending to or beyond pectoral fin base; head shield nearly smooth with few rugosities bordering the median longitudinal groove; supraoccipital process keeled, slightly longer than broad at base, its hind end concave; median longitudinal groove very narrow, short. and reaching to median keel of supraoccipital process; predorsal plate crescentic; premaxillary band of teeth in upper jaw 3 or 4 times as long as broad, mandibulary band of teeth curved and medially interrupted; palate teeth (on roof of mouth) conical, in a single large sub-triangular patch on each side, with concave outer margins; first dorsal and pectoral fins each with a strong spine; total anal fin rays 8 to 23.