Diagnosis: unique color pattern with 4 conspicuous dark bars radiating from the eye; body silvery, yellowish or blue with a highly contrasting black blotched pattern with anastomosing horizontal and vertical components; faint spots on the pectoral fins; no speckles on head and body; head length 34.0-37.0% of standard length; body depth 32.9-38.3% of standard length; dorsal fin base 49.6-53.7% of standard length; lower jaw 37.5-46.2% head length; head width 40.8-47.0% head length (Ref. 55922).

Description: outer and inner teeth in jaw unicuspid in adults, with large gap between inner and outer rows in upper jaw; outer teeth bicuspid and inner teeth weakly tricuspid in small specimens; 3-4 series of cheek scales; lower pharyngeal jaw broad and shallow, but with a relatively deep anterior blade; pharyngeal teeth widely set, sharp and stout, but not enlarged; gill-rakers stout, not elongated, the largest ones flattened; 20-24 scales in upper part of lateral line, 10-15 in lower; 5-6 scales between the pectoral and pelvic fins (Ref. 55922).

Coloration: Live: blotched pattern similar as in preserved specimens (Ref. 55922). Adult territorial males: general color blue; dorsal and anal fin blue-grey; dorsal fin with orange lappets and white submarginal band; brown maculae and striae pattern not well developed; anal fin yellow-orange distally; pectoral fins transparent with grey hue; pelvic fins dark with white leading edge (Ref. 55922). Females: white or yellow with dark blotches; unpaired fins yellow; dorsal fin lappets red-brown; pectoral and pelvic fins transparent with yellow hue; anal fin yellow distally (Ref. 55922). Color pattern of immature and non-territorial males intermediate between female and territorial male pattern, becoming more intense blue on the body with increasing territoriality (Ref. 55922). Preserved: no speckles; 4 stripes on the head radiating from the eye; there are 4 blotches on the dorsal part of the body, 4 midlateral blotches, and 3 less obvious blotches in the ventral region; general body color yellow to dark brown; dorsal part of both head and operculum, and the branchiostegal membranes, usually dark; dorsal and caudal fins with maculae; anal and pelvic fins dark; pectoral fins with spots; dorsal fin in large males with light-colored lappets, as is the trailing edge of the pelvic fins and the ventral edge of the anal fin (Ref. 55922).