An oriental species of Striped Red Mullet. It has a length of about 20-25 centimeters and its silvery-white body with dark greyish back is covered in diffuse blood-red smudges. In addition, it has longitudinal yellow stripes that run along the top half of the body.

The red smudges usually cover also the tail and fins, and in many cases they turn the sclera of the eye red and the yellow stripes brownish-black where they meet.