The length of the head, measured from the upper jaw, is contained four times and a half in the total length of the fish.  The large round eye, situated near the upper profile, fills more than a quarter of this length.  The orbit is surrounded by a ring of muciferous canals, with open orifices, which are the only exterior vestiges of the suborbitar chain.  The small mouth descends obliquely and scarcely reaches back to the orbit.  The intermaxillaries are moderately protractile, but the lower jaw, when depressed, projects still further forward.  The maxillary widens towards its lower end, which curves a little forwards.  Three pores exist on each limb of the lower jaw.

The teeth of the upper jaw present a fine, but rather uneven and broad cardiform surface at the symphysis, which narrows to a single row towards the corner of the mouth, where they are a little longer and more subulate.  Four canine teeth stand across the end of the jaw anterior to the dental plate, the intermediate ones being shorter than the outer ones.  The dentition of the under jaw differs in the dental band being narrower, and in there being a conspicuous canine in the middle of each limb of the jaw.  There are also six canines standing across the extreme tips of the jaw, opposed to the upper ones.  Most of the teeth are slightly curved backwards.  The chevron of the vomer projects from the roof of the mouth, and its surface is armed by minute teeth in about three or four densely crowded rows.  The palatine teeth are still more minute, and the band is four or five deep.  The teeth, when examined with a lens, appear to be very acute and in nowise spherical.  The pharyngeal teeth are subulate and acute, and of unequal heights.  There seems to be only one inferior pharyngeal bone below; but without dissection this could not be clearly made out.  The outer branchial rakers are long.

The narrow, slightly pitted, scaleless disk of the preoperculum bounds the scaly cheek behind and below, and has an entire edge with neither spine nor acute angle at the bend.  The other pieces of the gill cover are closely covered with scales, only a little smaller than those of the body.  The pretty wide thin inter-operculum lays freely over the gill membranes, and covers them when shut up.  The sub-operculum is minutely crenulated on the edge, and has a small sub-membranous tip, which projects a little beyond the three opercular teeth.  A small curved notch marks the separation between the interoperculum and sub-operculum.

The scales extend on the crown of the head to the middle of the orbits.  The snout, lips, jaws, the place at the corner of the mouth over which the maxillary glides and the gill membrane are scaleless.  The scales of the body are very regularly disposed, showing rhomboidal disks when in situ, with strongly ciliated edges.  The lateral line ascends at its commencement and bends rather suddenly under the first soft dorsal ray to run near and parallel to the ridge