This species is distinguished from its congeners in having a broken brown stripe between eye and hind margin of opercle (except for S. hawaii), vertebrae, precaudal 21 and total 53; mature at a very small SL (3.6 cm); also with a pair of free spines on frontal above and behind eyes, a large median sub-dermal ethmoidal spine in front of eyes with forward pointed tip; lower angle of preopercle with antero-ventrally directed spine; skin thin and transparent; scales present on sides of body; anterior arch with 3 long gill rakers, 4-5 times the length of gill filaments; 1-2 rows of palatine teeth; pectoral peduncle longer than high; fin rays, D 85, A 52 and pectoral 18; otolith length to height 9; otolith length to colliculum length 3.1; sulcus without anterior projection (Ref. 93007).