The Couch’s bream is a deep bodied fish with a high, rounded profile to its head and a spiny single dorsal fin. The anal fin has 3 spiny rays connected to 8 or 9 softer rays to the posterior.
Has the typical narrow, deep bodied bream shape with a snub nose and downward angled mouth. The dorsal and anal fins cover the rear half of the body and are low for most of the length only rising outwards as they reach their leading edges.