| Main Ref. | Myers, R.F., 1991 |
| Appearance refers to | |
| Bones in OsteoBase |
| Specialized organs | |
| Different appearance | |
| Different colors | always different colors between mature adults |
| Remarks | Males have brilliant yellow sides and a blue dorsal surface. Females are basically yellowish-brown (Ref. 37175). |
| Striking features | |
| Body shape lateral | short and / or deep |
| Cross section | |
| Dorsal head profile | |
| Type of eyes | |
| Type of mouth/snout | |
| Position of mouth | |
| Type of scales | |
| Diagnosis |
Caudal fin rays 10. Juveniles bright yellow with black spots; the spots decrease proportionately and the bright yellow becomes a dirty mustard with growth; large adults become bluish with yellowish seams between the plates. Description: Characterized further by adults having numerous black spots on fins; juvenile with scattered black spots on head and body; carapace quadrangular in cross section, concave sides, broader at base than dorsally; more or less straight dorsal profile of snout, presence of bony protuberance above upper lip (absent in juvenile); rounded caudal fin (Ref. 90102). |
| Ease of Identification |
| Lateral Lines | Interrupted: No |
| Scales on lateral line | |
| Pored lateral line scales | |
| Scales in lateral series | |
| Scale rows above lateral line | |
| Scale rows below lateral line | |
| Scales around caudal peduncle | |
| Barbels | |
| Gill clefts (sharks/rays only) | |
| Gill rakers | |
| on lower limb | |
| on upper limb | |
| total | |
| Vertebrae | |
| preanal | |
| total |
| Attributes | |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Finlets No. | Dorsal 0 - 0 |
| Ventral 0 - 0 | |
| Spines total | 0 - 0 |
| Soft-rays total | 8 - 9 |
| Adipose fin | absent |
| Attributes | more or less truncate; more or less normal |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Spines total | 0 - 0 |
| Soft-rays total | 9 - 9 |
| Pectoral | Attributes more or less normal |
| Spines 0 | |
| Soft-rays 10 - 11 | |
| Pelvics | Attributes suppressed/absent |
| Position | |
| Spines 0 | |
| Soft-rays 0 - 0 |