The species differs from its congeners in the Caspian Sea basin by the following set of characters: flank with a set of mid-lateral elongated, irregular-shaped dark brown blotches, sometimes fused, and interrupted by lateral line; dorsum with 3-4 separated dark-brown roundish to elongated blotches predorsally and postdorsally; a deep and marked suborbital groove and many small unculi on rays of pectoral and dorsal-fin in male; the eye diameter small 9.6-13.7 % HL; dorsal-fin base short, 10.1-13.3 % SL; lateral pores 3-4 and central 3 in supratemporal canal; deep body 17.3-19.4 and caudal peduncle 10.2-11.4 % SL and slightly emarginate caudal fin (Ref. 119376).