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Dorsal spines (total): -0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11; Anal spines: -0; Anal soft rays: 8; Vertebrae: 43. Diagnosis: elongate, small species, body depth 6.4-8.0 times in SL; body width 8.2-10.0 times in SL; head rather short, 4.9-5.5 times in SL, about twice as long as broad (Ref. 86888). Head smooth, round in front, flat below (Ref. 52193). Eye laterodorsal (Ref. 86888), about 4.1-5 times in HL, 0.9-1.3 times in interorbital distance and 1.6-2.1 times in snout length (Ref. 89112), its horizontal diameter slightly less than interorbital distance; snout length equal to postorbital distance; interorbital distance about equal to mouth width; jaws without teeth, but with horny edges to jaws (Ref. 86888). Mouth straight, tadpole-like; gill openings form a slit above pectoral fins (Ref. 52193). Dorsal fin origin very slightly anterior to pelvic fin origin, slightly posterior to midpoint of SL (Ref. 86888), nearer to origin of caudal fin than to snout (Ref. 52193). Anal fin well posterior (Ref. 86888), closer to caudal fin origin than pelvic fin origin (Ref. 52193, 86888). Anal fin membrane relatively thick; pectoral fin large and ventral, its length 0.9 times in HL, 6.0 times in SL; pelvic fin 1.3 times in pectoral, 8.1 times in SL; strip of belly between pectoral and pelvic fins appears naked but has fine transparent scales; top, bottom and sides of head naked (Ref. 86888).
Description: caudal fin with 19 full rays; lower lobe of caudal fin slightly larger than upper; scales small; 26+17 vertebrae, including hypural; caudal fin skeleton simple, epural elements of approximately equal size (Ref. 86888).
Coloration: basic ground color pale yellow-brown fading to off-white after preservation; degree of dark markings on body dependant on size; small specimens have dark line of undulating thickness down side over lateral line, ending in dark triangular blotch on caudal base and 2 diagonal stripes on caudal; faint mottling dorsally; with increase in size lateral stripe becomes broader and more pronounced, and dorsal markings become prominent; small dark marks may or may not appear at base of paired fins; diagonal stripes on caudal very marked (Ref. 86888). |
