 The colour of this species can be variable, normally it is greenish to bronze dorsally fading to pale greyish on the flanks and to silvery ventrally.There are faint gold horizontal lines on the body and there is frequently a white or silvery streak on the cheek below the eye, and a narrow pale stripe below the dorsal fin base.Sometimes individuals which are bright yellow in colour occur and these often have blotches or patches of black along with areas of paler yellow or whitish colour.