Colour is overall yellow-orange to red-orange with distinctive unevenly spaced and variable in number dark to black vertical bars, usually rounded at the top and more pointed at the bottom, an inverted tear drop shape.

The head and upper surfaces of the body above the lateral line are often overlaid with a dusky shading made up of many small dark grey spots.

The side bars often have a "halo" surrounding them where the dusky shading is not present, exposing the base body colour.

Instream cover consists of large and small woody debris, rocks and tree roots within undercut banks.

The eggs are about 2.2 millimetres (0.087 in) in diameter, are adhesive and laid on the sides or beneath rocks in fast, shallow water.