Body elongate, robust, compressed. Head rather large, depressed. 
Snout long, depressed. Eye advanced, high. Mouth large, little in¬ 
clined, mandible little protruded in front of snout tip. Teeth in band 
in each jaw, uniformly villiform or outer row little enlarged. Tongue 
spatulate, free in front. No barbels. Gill openings well advanced below, 
isthmus narrow. Front gill rakers on first arch about 6 on lower limb, 
robust. Psendobranchiae present. Exposed edge of shoulder girdle smooth. 
Scales large, angular, with 1 or more basal scalelets. Scales ctenoid, 
extend forward on predorsal to nostrils and cover sides of head. Naked 
mucigerous canals extend from snout, around each side of interorbital area, 
to shoulder and around preopercular border; defined by distinct osseous 
crests. Several open pores on preopercular border. Dorsal fins short, 
with 6 spines and 9 rays. Anal like second dorsal. Caudal narrowly 
rounded. Pectoral without free rays, narrowly rounded. Ventral with spine 
and 5 rays, fourth ray longest, fins widely separated. 
Indo-Pacific. 
