| Diagnosis: |
This species is distinguished by the following characters: external light organ a short, narrow, naked streak immediately anterior to anus, its anterior margin falling far short of line connecting inner pelvic-fin bases; underside of head almost completely naked; dorsal surface of snout is fully scaled, except the narrow naked clefts along each side of median rostral ridge; nasal fossa heavily scaled anteroventrally; snout very long, sharply pointed, its length 107% postrostral length (PRL); dorsal profile of snout moderately concave in lateral view; terminal snout scute long, slender, spearhead-shaped, dorsoventrally flattened, its length 27% PRL; scales on median rostral ridge covered with divergent rows of spinules; lateral nasal ridge is completely supported by nasal bone, almost straight when viewed dorsally, giving it a sharply pointed and distinctly attenuated appearance to snout; anus slightly separated from anal-fin origin; premaxillary teeth small, conical and arranged in a short, uniformly wide band, none especially enlarged; posterior margin of tooth band falling far short of the lateral corner of mouth; body scales are covered with short, reclined, keel-like spinules in narrowly divergent, saw-toothed ridges; every spinule row is complete, extending to posterior scale margin; spinules in each row greatly overlapping, closely adjoined to one another, but generally free at the tips; buttresses only narrowly developed; occipital scales covered with short, erect, keel-like spinules in widely divergent, saw-toothed rows; postorbital length 53% postrostral length (PRL); preoral length 101% PRL; prepelvic length 227% PRL; preanal length 292% PRL; predorsal length 214% PRL; height of first dorsal fin 84% PRL; interdorsal length 34% PRL; free neuromasts on the underside of head are tiny, immaculate, difficult to distinguish; no dark hair-like papillae on underside of head. Colouration: body uniformly pale in preserved specimen; lips white while oral cavity is blackish (Ref. 123356). |