conspicuous sensory pores and minute papillae; fins moderately well-developed with delicate rays; lateral line conspicuous with the pores raised in small specimens; at the ends of short tubes in larger specimens; minute epidermal processes present over surface of body but hardly developed and difficult to see in specimens of less than 300 mm; myotomes wellmarked along whole of trunk and tail.

Head clearly differentiated from trunk, especially in younger specimens in which it is swollen, and contained about 1.5 times in trunk or about 6.5 times in total length; snout fleshy, tumid, about 4.0 in head, projecting only moderately in advance of lower jaw; jaws strong, mouth subterminal; gape slightly oblique, barely reaching vertical from middle of pupil, or 3.0 in head; upper lip scarcely developed, its inner edge separated from maxillary dentition by a minutely fimbriated flat ridge, lower lip thick, fleshy, rounded, its inner edge fimbriated; tongue distinct.

Teeth present on maxilla, premaxillo-ethmovomer and dentary. Teeth on maxilla and dentary generally short, all of about the same size, acutely conical, very slightly recurved, closely-packed in irregular rows so as to form a cardiform band on each element. Maxillary band moderately broad anteriorly with about four rows of teeth, hardly tapering posteriorly. Premaxillo-ethmovomerine band with less close-packed teeth and in two portions; anterior, premaxillary portion broadly (transversely) oval, adpressed between, and clearly extending in advance of, the maxillary bands, so that when the upper and lower jaws are pressed together the premaxillary patch stands out almost completely in front of the mouth; bearing sharp, backwardly-directed teeth slightly larger than all others in the mouth; posterior, vomerine portion relatively narrow anteriorly, broadening posteriorly and finally narrowing to its extreme posterior tip which is level with a point halfway between the posterior nostril and the eye, nearly three times the length of premaxillary patch or not quite half the length of maxillary band; vomerine teeth generally in about three rows, a few minute and sharp anteriorly, but larger, more widely spaced and broadly conical posteriorly. Toothed area of dentary slightly shorter than maxillary band, not joining the toothed area of the opposite side across the symphysis of lower jaw, much broader anteriorly where the teeth lie in about seven rows, tapering posteriorly.

Anterior and posterior nostrils of the one side separated by a space equal to just less than diameter of eye; anterior nostril just above and in advance of premaxillary teeth as a short, thin-walled tube with a complete rim and directed anteroventrally; posterior nostril in advance of eye on its horizontal diameter, without an external tube but with a raised rim, not fimbriated, usually widely open and the opening triangular to oval in shape. Eye large, oval, with horizontal diameter 1.5 in snout or 3.0 in postorbital; fleshy interorbital usually less than diameter of eye but narrow in small specimens, relatively broader and flatter in larger examples. Branchiostegals obvious through skin in small specimens, numbering nine or ten on each side. Branchial aperture lateral, below pectoral, semicircular, just greater than half diameter of eye, in all specimens examined originating just anterodorsal to level of ventral extremity of pectoral base; conspicuously oblique so that the posterior (ventral) extremity is behind level of pectoral base, ventral extremities of branchial apertures usually separated by a distance equal to twice their length.

Median fins with fleshy bases but otherwise delicate, with fine fin-rays and continuous with the caudal. Dorsal origin not greatly variable, usually just behind level of pectoral base, slightly higher than anal, at vent contained three and a-half times in depth of body at that point, with rays numbering about 340 of which about 80 lie before level of vent; anal lower, with about 250 rays; eight rays in the caudal. Pectoral elongate-oval, fleshy, contained about twice in the postorbital, with 16 rays.

Lateral line marked by a raised ridge, originating near the level of dorsal margin of eye, nearer pectoral base than eye, descending gradually to meet midlateral level halfway along trunk. Pores numbering about 160 of which anterior 43–48 lie before level of vent, placed along ventral margin of the raised ridge of lateral line, in younger specimens barely raised, in older examples carried on the ends of short tubes. Cephalic pores as in P. hirsutus.

Minute, fleshy, papillae present in well-defined rows on head, between dorsal fin and lateral line and in lateral line itself, more numerous than in the previous species. Tips of snout and lower jaws covered with numerous, minute, rounded knobs.

Body surface thickly and almost completely covered with minute, hair-like, fleshy epidermal processes, not developed in specimens of less than about 200 mm, difficult to see in specimens of 200–300 mm but their presence indicated by a dull coating to the body. These processes, when developed, are villiform and undivided at their tips and bear pigment only at their distal extremities.

Colour in life greyish-brown over most of body, tinged with pink and with closely-packed minute brown spots along the dorsolateral surface; iris almost colourless; colour fading to greyish-pink in formalin.

Young of P. bulbiceps have fewer teeth on the vomer than older specimens, so that in an example of only 187 mm total length vomerine teeth number about 15–18 and the patch of teeth tends to be elongate triangular in shape; in a specimen of.