Head and body deep, strongly compressed. Mouth protrusible; teeth pointed, slender, crowded together; a fringe of 4 to 6 short cirri ventrally on lower jaw (absent in specimens 25 cm or more in total length). Colour is generally silvery with a greenish tinge on upper half of body and a large orange spot just above base of pectoral fin; 4 to 11 vertical bars of small black spots on upper half of body; margins of dorsal, anal, caudal and pelvic fins greyish black.