GBIF Taxonomic Backbone & Wikipedia Registry Profile
Description. Morphology. Morphometric and meristic data are presented in Table 3. Body moderately oval; laterally compressed, widest at region of anterior flank and posterior part of head; Dorsal-fin base contour sloping from about middle of spinous portion. Caudal peduncle edges horizontal; ventral sometimes longer than dorsal. Head and snout short; orbit slightly below forehead contour, entirely in upper and anterior halves of head. Interorbital wide, slightly convex. Tip of exposed maxilla extending to anterior edge of orbit; lower jaw articulation below middle of orbit. Both lip folds interrupted, junction of upper and lower lips African type. Opercula and pectoral girdle bones smooth. Interorbital convex; pre-pelvic contour straight; greatest body depth at pelvic-fin bases. Scales. Pre-dorsal midline scales irregularly arranged, ca. 14 - 18 along midline; posterior pre-pelvic scales about half size of flank scales, slightly smaller anteriorly, in ca. seven horizontal series. Scales around caudal peduncle 26 - 32; lower lobe of caudal fin with 1 - 8 tubed lateral-line scales, from base to middle usually with gaps between them, and from half to edge of fin continued by pored scales). Anterior 1 / 3 to 1 / 2 of the cheek naked, remainder with cycloid scales; cheek scale rows 3 (n = 65; range 7 - 9). Operculum covered with eight cycloid scales (n = 65; range 3 - 5); opercula scales in ca. four vertical series, sub-opercular scales in two or three series: inter-operculum with one or two scales close to pre-opercular corner and six or seven scales in principal series. Pre-operculum naked. Soft unpaired fins covered by dense scale layer. Spinous dorsal fin bordered by posteriorly progressively wider scale layer with straight margin. This basal scale layer continued onto basal 1 / 3 of soft dorsal fin but inter-radial scales distal to it widen scaly layer to basal 1 / 2 of fin medially. Pectoral and pelvic fins naked. Inter-pelvic squamation extended laterally to cover bases. Caudal fin completely scaled save for narrow zone along hind margin; basal scales ctenoid; inter-radial scales cycloid in three or four series between rays. Fins. One continuous dorsal fin, with anterior portion of hard rays (spines) and posterior portion with soft rays. First dorsal-fin spine inserted slightly in advance of vertical from hind margin of operculum; relative length of spines increasing to 4 th then subequal to last few which are longer, twice length of first or slightly longer. Soft part of dorsal fin with rounded tip, reaching to not quite middle of caudal fin or to 3 / 4 of caudal fin. D. XII. 18 (3), XII. 19 (4), XII. 20 (5), XIII. 17 (5), XIII. 18 (8), XIII. 19 (14), XIII. 20 (12), XIII. 21 (5), XIV. 18 (4), XIV. 19 (5), XIV. 20 (3); Anal-fin origin opposite soft dorsal-fin origin; soft portion similar to soft dorsal fin, but not reaching beyond middle of caudal fin. A. III. 14 (5), III. 15 (10), III. 16 (15), III. 17 (10), III. 18 (14), III. 19 (3), III. 20 (1). Pectoral-fin with blunt dorsal tip, 4 th ray longest, hind margin truncate or slightly curved; sometimes reaching to first anal-fin spine P 1. 15 (n = 65; range 14 - 17). Pelvic-fin spine inserted below pectoral axilla; fin pointed, with outer branch of first ray longest, reaching to first anal-fin spine to 1 / 3 of soft-anal fin base, inner rays gradually shorter P 2, 1.5 (1.5). Caudal fin with hind edge rounded, with 22 (n = 65; range 19 - 24), total rays (Table 3). Gills. First gill arch with rudimentary denticles exposed laterally, two or three on epibranchial, one in angle, and 8 - 11 on ceratobranchial. Tiny gill-rakers present externally on medial side short, compressed and heavily denticulate (Table 3). Teeth. Lower jaw with two teeth rows on each side (external and internal). External tooth row in both jaws extends from tip to end of each bone (dentary and maxilla). Teeth in outer series stout, conical, pointed, little recurved; anterior three or four in each jaw half as strong as rest; outer series to near end of upper jaw (20) and of corresponding length in lower jaw; inner band of very small weak teeth, less than 0.4 mm long, only anteriorly in jaws. Otoliths. Sagitta otoliths oval with crenulate posterior, dorsal, ventral margins; Ar was greater than 0.66, otolith Rd 0.59 (Suppl. material 1: Table S 2). Anterior region (rostrum) projected with elongated process and rounded posterior region. Anti-rostrum short and rounded, moderately broad ostium incisure with notch. Acoustic canal (sulcus acoustics) heterosulcoid, ostial, medial; ostium rectangular and shorter than caudal colliculum, which is tubular, closed, and strongly curved along its posterior margin. Dorsal and vertebral skeleton. Pre-caudal vertebrae 15, caudal vertebrae 17, and total vertebrae 32. Range in vertebral counts (pre-caudal, caudal, and total) is wide (14 - 16, 15 - 18, 30 - 33). Two or three supraneural bones present, first anterior to neural spine of first pre-caudal vertebrae, second and third, between that spine and second neural spine of second pre-caudal vertebrae (Fig. 4, Suppl. material 1: Table S 3). Caudal skeleton. Includes hypural complex and 20 - 24 caudal rays. This complex has five vertebral elements, CP 1, CUI, and CUII or urostyle (all fused), CP 2 and CP 3. This last element has HEM 3 that can support one or two HPCR and a NEU 3 that can be free or support up to two EPCR. The CP 2 is articulated with HEM 2, which can be free or articulated with up to two HPCR or one or two HC = R. Likewise, CP 2 on its upper side almost converges with bone E 1 that is free or articulated with EPCR or ECR. The complex CP 1 + CUI + CUII, is articulated on its lower side with four elements, PH and HI, which are articulated with two to four HCR each, the HII, which is articulated with one or two HCR and the HIII, which can support two or three ECR. Complex CP 1 + CUI + CUII articulated on its anterior side with bone HIV, which in turn can support two to five ECR. On its upper side this complex is articulated with the ES bone that is fused with HV and can support between one to three ECR. Above HV, and always separated from Complex CP 1 + CUI + CUII, E 2 is positioned, which can be found without rays or an EPCR or ECR. Next and always separated from the E 2, E 1 is found which along its upper side only supports an EPCR and on the lower edge may be articulated and even fused with NEU 2. Finally, NEU 3 is observed, originating along the upper edge of CP 3, which can be free or articulated with up to two EPCR (Fig. 5, Suppl. material 1: Table S 4). Color in alcohol. The background color varies from dark yellow to dark brown; chest color varies from pale to dark brown; abdomen whitish. Operculum and cheek pale brown. Snout and forehead chestnut. Sides of the body with irregular vertical bars (chestnut or pale brown) sometimes difficult to see, of different widths, individually variable. Sometimes with pattern of 1 - 3 pale and dark vertical bars, normally with pale, lambda-shaped bars; central part of these bars is usually divided at level of abdomen, forming lambda (λ) figure with bases extending to pelvic fins. Dorsal and anal fins pale or dark brown with paler edges on both. Caudal fin dark brown, darker on base, always with black ocellus surrounded by narrow white or grey ring, placed in superior part of caudal-fin base, and marginally extending onto caudal peduncle. Pectoral and pelvic fins hyaline. Dorsal fin without rings or ocelli (Fig. 3). Color in life. Sexual dimorphism not observed. Ventrum pale grey, chest dark grey, abdomen whitish, operculum and cheek grey to brown, snout and forehead chestnut, underside of head dark grey with greyish or greenish tinge over chestnut. Sides of body with barely visible irregular vertical bars (chestnut or dark grey) of different widths and patterns, which may vary from one individual to another. Wide vertical bar of dark brown color crosses central part of body and reaches spinous portion of anal fin. Central part of said bar usually divided at level of abdomen, forming lambda (λ) shape with bases extending to pelvic fins. Posterior side of the body with abundant iridescent orange spots that can appear longitudinally. Dorsal and anal fins dark brown with paler edges. Caudal fin dark grey, darker on base. Always with black ocellus surrounded by orange or yellow ring that reaches center of lateral line of caudal fin and extends onto caudal peduncle. Pectoral fins hyaline, dorsal and pelvic fins without spots or ocelli (Fig. 8 a).
