| Main Ref. | Skelton, P.H., L.M. Risch and D. Paugy, 2003 |
| Appearance refers to | |
| Bones in OsteoBase |
| Specialized organs | |
| Different appearance | |
| Different colors | |
| Remarks | Males have a bigger (more swollen) head than females (Ref. 57128). |
| Striking features | |
| Body shape lateral | elongated |
| Cross section | |
| Dorsal head profile | |
| Type of eyes | |
| Type of mouth/snout | |
| Position of mouth | |
| Type of scales | |
| Diagnosis |
Diagnosis: body relatively short, robust and slightly compressed, its depth 5-6 times in standard length; head long and bluntly squarish, its length less than 5 times in standard length; dorsal-fin origin ahead of pelvic-fins; caudal peduncle deep and compressed, its length 1.3 times its depth; anal fin with 6 or 7 branched rays; caudal fin with 8 + 9 principal rays (Ref. 57128). Description: eyes small, positioned dorsally; mouth broad and terminal, lips fleshy; barbels long and slender, extending beyond pectoral-fin bases; head fleshy, branchiostegal membrane divided by a deep ventral notch; dorsal, pectoral and pelvic fins short, their principal simple ray short and slightly filamentous; adipose fin long, low and confluent with caudal fin (Ref. 57128). Coloration: back uniformly dark, belly lighter; fin rays dark brown, fin membranes clear (Ref. 57128). |
| 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 | 6 |
| Gill clefts (sharks/rays only) | |
| Gill rakers | |
| on lower limb | 3 |
| on upper limb | 1 - 2 |
| total | |
| Vertebrae | |
| preanal | |
| total |
| Attributes | no striking attributes |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Finlets No. | Dorsal 0 |
| Ventral 0 | |
| Spines total | 0 |
| Soft-rays total | 7 |
| Adipose fin | present |
| Attributes | more or less truncate; more or less normal |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Spines total | 0 |
| Soft-rays total | 9 - 10 |
| Pectoral | Attributes more or less normal |
| Spines 0 | |
| Soft-rays 8 | |
| Pelvics | Attributes more or less normal |
| Position abdominal behind origin of D1 | |
| Spines 0 | |
| Soft-rays |