[2] It is an elongated shape with a continuous short dorsal fin running most of the length of the body.

The colour is variable, being mostly mottled brown on a silvery background with larger dark spots above.

[3] Early-stage larvae of Starksia are more tadpole-shaped than other labrisomids and lack some of the melanophores (dark spots) typical of the family.

Barbados (BAR) and Panama (PAN) lineages are identified by COI sequencing divergence.

Curaçao (CUR), Saba Bank (SAB), and Bahamas/Turks and Caicos/Belize (BAH/ TCI/BLZ) lineages lack an orbital cirrus.