| Main Ref. | Lévêque, C., 2003 |
| Appearance refers to | |
| Bones in OsteoBase |
| Specialized organs | no special organs |
| Different appearance | males alike females |
| Different colors | males alike females |
| Remarks |
| Striking features | striking type of mouth |
| Body shape lateral | fusiform / normal |
| Cross section | |
| Dorsal head profile | more or less straight |
| Type of eyes | more or less normal |
| Type of mouth/snout | more or less normal |
| Position of mouth | sub-terminal/inferior |
| Type of scales | cycloid scales |
| Diagnosis |
Diagnosis: last simple dorsal ray ossified and as long as or shorter than head in specimens over 150 mm SL; lips normally well developed, with or without mental lobe; mental lobe absent in certain populations from Liberia; 8-9 dorsal fin branched rays; scale formula 3.5-5.5/24-31/4.5; 2 scales between lateral line and pelvic-fin base; 12 scales around caudal peduncle; 2-4/10-14 gill rakers on first gill arch (Ref. 2940, 81282). Description: polymorphic species; body moderately deep; lips poorly developed in Liberian populations, mental lobe in many individuals from Guinea; 2 well developed barbels, variable in length among water basins; dorsal fin short, last simple dorsal-fin ray not exceeding head length, ossified at base, with ossified part forming a spine always shorter than head; distal margin dorsal fin more or less straight, sometimes slightly concave; D:IV,9; A:III,5; P:14-16; V:I,8 or 9 (Ref. 2940, 81282). Coloration: ground color yellowish-green, belly lighter and fins yellow (Ref. 2940, 81282). |
| Ease of Identification |
| Lateral Lines | 1 Interrupted: No |
| Scales on lateral line | 24 - 31 |
| Pored lateral line scales | |
| Scales in lateral series | |
| Scale rows above lateral line | 3 - 5 |
| Scale rows below lateral line | 4 - 5 |
| Scales around caudal peduncle | 12 - 12 |
| Barbels | 0 |
| Gill clefts (sharks/rays only) | |
| Gill rakers | |
| on lower limb | 2 - 4 |
| on upper limb | 10 - 14 |
| total | |
| Vertebrae | |
| preanal | |
| total |
| Attributes | no striking attributes |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Finlets No. | Dorsal |
| Ventral | |
| Spines total | 1 - 1 |
| Soft-rays total | 12 - 12 |
| Adipose fin | absent |
| Attributes | forked; more or less normal |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Spines total | |
| Soft-rays total | 8 - 8 |
| Pectoral | Attributes more or less normal |
| Spines 0 | |
| Soft-rays 14 - 16 | |
| Pelvics | Attributes more or less normal |
| Position abdominal beneath origin of D1 | |
| Spines | |
| Soft-rays 9 - 10 |