the body is a pale brown or silvery brown colour, transitioning to white below, with green, mauve and rosy reflections when the fish is first removed from the water. an indistinct silver-yellow mid-lateral band extends across some specimens. the spinous dorsal fin is olive green with faint darker blotches, the second dorsal fin also a pale olive with rows of dark brown to blackish spots. the anal and ventral fins are pale yellow, the pectorals are pale yellow to pale brown with a well defined dark blue-black blotch at the base. the caudal fin is yellow to olive in colour with darker margins. juveniles less than 90 mm may have darker blotches along their sides and backs.