Three autapomorphies distinguish T. claviger from all other members of the family: the sexually dimorphic posterior process of the opercle, much elongated in males (vs. short in both males and females); the terminal mouth (vs.subterminal or inferior); and the presence of an anterodorsal claw-like process on the dorsal surface of the neural arch of each of the anterior four free vertebrae. This species is distinguished from T. longipinnis, by several additional characteristics (some of which may also be autapomorphic, pending more detailed analysis): shape of the interopercle, with odontodes extending onto the posterodorsal margin of the interopercle on a bony expansion (vs. odontodes mostly restricted to ventral and posterior margins of the bone); posterior naris broader than long (vs. round); presence of an entirely differentiated fleshy lobe laterally on the lower lip (vs. fleshy lobe mostly continuous with the lower lip); no branched anal-fin rays in specimens of any size (vs. most rays branched in specimens over 41 mm SL); less deep caudal peduncle, 9.3-11.5 (vs. 10.3-12.6% SL); deeper head, head depth 72.9-86.6 (vs. 50.3-62.8% HL); no antorbital (vs. plate-like antorbital present dorsally to antorbital process of lateral ethmoid); deep coronoid process of the lower jaw (vs. coronoid process approximately one-third less deep); flattened bifurcated tooth cusps, with roundish margins (vs. bifurcated tooth cusps conical, pointed); vertebrae 35 (vs. 38 or 39); branchiostegal rays 6 (vs. 7); no pelvic splint (vs. present); pleural ribs 8 (vs. 10 or 11); few sparse dark spots on body (spots more numerous and more densely arranged); well-defined thin dark line along base of anal fin, formed by a regular row of slanted elongate spots on the distal portion of each pterygiophore (vs. no such line); no dark spots on the sides of head (vs. lateral surfaces of head with roundish spots); dark spots on body not extending onto base of caudal fin (vs. spots covering bases of principal caudal-fin rays). The deepest part of the body of T. claviger is at the middle of the abdomen, continuously less deep posteriorly to the base of the caudal fin, and the dorsal and ventral profiles of the head forming broad symmetrical arcs with the body profile, and these result in a rather different general aspect when compared to T. longipinnis, where the deepest part of the body is at the origin of the anal fin, and the body depth is approximately even along its entire length, only slightly decreasing towards the caudal fin. Also, the dorsal and ventral profiles of the head and body are not symmetrical, in T. claviger, it is gently convex and in T. longipinnis it is approximately straight (Ref. 85858).