| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12-15; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 16-20; Vertebrae: 36-41. Diagnosis: Small, slender fishes, easily mistaken for the juveniles of Pellonula (Ref. 188). Belly rounded, with 0-10 minute pre-pelvic scutes, without arms, supporting a low membranous keel, post-pelvic scutes similar, the keel more apparent, and a W-shaped scute located at the pelvic fin bases; lower gillrakers 13-16; pelvic insertion well before dorsal fin, with 1 unbranched and 5-6 branched rays; anal fin beginning under dorsal fin base (Ref. 188, 2849, 81269, 81631, 120915, 121309). It commmonly occurs with Pellonula, which has pelvic fins with 1 unbranched and 7 branched rays, normal scutes and the pelvic fin insertion more or less below the dorsal fin origin (Ref. 188).
Description: Body elongate, its greatest depth 10-22% of standard length; body-section eliptic; belly not keeled (Ref. 120915, 121309). Head elongate, its length 18-25% of standard length; eyes large, the eye diameter 25-35% of head length; snout shorter, nearly rounded, its length about 20% of head length; jaws subequal or lower very slightly projecting (Ref. 121309). Pre-maxilla with a single series of small pointed teeth; 8-9 teeth on either pre-maxilla; maxilla long and narrow, with on lower half 12-13 teeth similar to those on maxilla; a single supra-maxilla; hind edge of supra-maxilla and maxilla equal and reaching till middle between nostril and eye or a little beyond; a series of 6 small teeth on either side of the dentary symphysis; no teeth observed on the tongue nor on the palate or vomer (Ref. 121309). Operculum with an excavation on posterior side; posterior fontanelles present in adults, in length about aqual to eye-diameter (Ref. 121309). First gill arch with 13-16 gillrakers on lower limb (Ref. 188, 2849, 81269, 81631). Dorsal fin placed distinctly behind the level of pelvic-fin insertions, and closer to caudal-fin base than to snout-tip; dorsal fin with 12-15 rays, longest dorsal ray about 15% of standard length, and as long or a little longer than fin base, when folded down the longest ray reaches till same level as posterior dorsal ray; anal fin with 16-20 rays, anal fin origin nearer to pelvic fin base than to caudal fin base; pectoral fin with 8-10 rays, pectoral fin base just below posterior opercular border, pectoral fin tip reaching midway between finbase and pelvic fins insertion; pelvic fins with 6-7 rays, originating nearly at midbody, ventral tip not reaching anus; caudal fin a little shorter than head, with 17-22 rays (Ref. 2849, 81269, 81631, 120915, 121309). Scales cycloid; approximately 37-38 scales in longitudinal line; scales hardly visible on posterior half of body in largest specimens (Ref. 81269, 93833, 121309). Non-keeled pre-pelvic and post-pelvic scutes, both lacking ascending arms, except for the W-shaped scute located at the pelvic-fin bases; 0-10 pre-pelvic and 6-11 post-pelvic mid-ventral scutes (Ref. 188, 2849, 81269, 81631). Total vertebrae 36-41 (Ref. 120915, 121309). In the caudal fin skeleton the first ural centrum is not fused with the pleural centrum (Ref. 2849, 81269, 81631). Branchiostegal rays 3; predorsal bones 12-13, in a row from occiput, row not reaching dorsal fin origin (Ref. 121309).
Colouration: In alcohol-preserved specimens, body pale brown with a lighter lateral stripe; small melanophores present on snout, upper parts of head, opercles and caudal-fin base; a double band of melanophores in the predorsal area and another at anal-fin base; fins colourless (Ref. 2849, 81269, 81631, 121309). Live specimens are golden-beige with a lateral stripe of melanophores; iris is silvery (Ref. 2849, 81269, 81631). |
