| Main Ref. | Anderson, W.D. Jr. and G.R. Allen, 2001 |
| Appearance refers to | |
| Bones in OsteoBase |
| Specialized organs | no special organs |
| Different appearance | males alike females |
| Different colors | males alike females |
| Remarks |
| Striking features | none |
| Body shape lateral | fusiform / normal |
| Cross section | oval |
| Dorsal head profile | clearly convex |
| Type of eyes | more or less normal |
| Type of mouth/snout | more or less normal |
| Position of mouth | terminal |
| Type of scales | |
| Diagnosis |
This species is distinguished by the following characters: body elongate and laterally compressed; lower jaw protruding; premaxillae not protrusible, fixed by a frenum; teeth in jaws are extremely small, minute in large adults; roof of mouth toothless; maxilla without scales or longitudinal ridges; interorbital region flattened; gill openings extending far anterior to orbit; gill rakers on first gill arch 16 - 19 + 32-35 = 49-52; last soft ray of both dorsal and anal fins well produced, longer than next to last ray; caudal fin forked; D X,11 (occasionally 10); membranes of dorsal and anal fins without scales; tubed lateral-line scales 69-75. Colour of body blue-grey or mauve to overall reddish; margin of maxilla black; in some specimens, at least, inside of mouth, gill chamber, and gills shining silver; fins yellowish to reddish except pelvic and anal fins sometimes whitish (Ref. 9821). |
| Ease of Identification |
| Lateral Lines | 1 Interrupted: No |
| Scales on lateral line | 70 - 73 |
| Pored lateral line scales | 69 - 75 |
| Scales in lateral series | |
| Scale rows above lateral line | |
| Scale rows below lateral line | |
| Scales around caudal peduncle | |
| Barbels | 0 |
| Gill clefts (sharks/rays only) | absent |
| Gill rakers | |
| on lower limb | 32 - 35 |
| on upper limb | 16 - 19 |
| total | 49 - 52 |
| Vertebrae | |
| preanal | |
| total |
| Attributes | no striking attributes |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Finlets No. | Dorsal 0 - 0 |
| Ventral 0 - 0 | |
| Spines total | 10 - 10 |
| Soft-rays total | 10 - 11 |
| Adipose fin | absent |
| Attributes | forked; more or less normal |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Spines total | 3 - 3 |
| Soft-rays total | 8 - 8 |
| Pectoral | Attributes more or less normal |
| Spines | |
| Soft-rays 15 - 16 | |
| Pelvics | Attributes more or less normal |
| Position thoracic before origin of D1 | |
| Spines | |
| Soft-rays |