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Description. Meristic and morphometrics shown in Table 1. Body elongated, progressively compressed posteriorly, moderately deep, its depth 2.7 - 3.2 in SL. Head large, slightly convex dorsally, mostly encased in irregular low vermiculated bone. Interorbital fossa rounded posteriorly, extending well beyond posterior margin of orbits, its mid-longitudinal length shorter than interorbital width. Orbit oval, its diameter noticeably greater than that of eyes. Nostrils with short, stiff, densely branched fimbriate edges; anterior nostril circular, distinctly shorter than eye diameter; posterior nostril circular, elongated, its length about equal to longitudinal orbit diameter; its posterior margin about level with posterior margin of eye. Mouth large, opening prominently upward; both lips with single row of long compressed fimbriae. Upper jaw with dense band of minute villiform teeth. Lower jaw with sharp uniserial spaced canines. Chin smooth, lateral surface without barbels. Opercular margin distinctly fimbriate dorsolaterally, weakly crenulated ventrally. Cleithral spine short, with sharp tip, covered by fleshy skin flap; tip of spine at about middle of skin flap. Cleithral flap fimbriated ventrally, posterior tip of flap reaching level with middle of pectoral fin. Narrow, low fleshy groove from inside opercular opening to about one-fourth to one-third length of uppermost pectoral fin ray; tiny fimbriae present on ventral margin of groove; posterior end of groove with small flap. Preopercle, opercle, and subopercle without spines. Dorsal fin with 2 approximately equal length spines, and 17 - 18 rays, becoming progressively longer posteriorly; origin of dorsal fin about level with origin of anal fin; posterior end of dorsal fin base slightly anterior to posterior end of anal fin base. Anal fin with 18 soft rays, first ray short, length of fourth to fifteenth ray about equal; membrane between rays (except three posteriormost rays) relatively deeply concave. Pectoral fin w