| Main Ref. | Mecklenburg, C.W., T.A. Mecklenburg and L.K. Thorsteinson, 2002 |
| Appearance refers to | Male; Female |
| Bones in OsteoBase |
| Specialized organs | no special organs |
| Different appearance | males alike females |
| Different colors | |
| Remarks |
| Striking features | striking shape of body |
| Body shape lateral | elongated |
| Cross section | |
| Dorsal head profile | |
| Type of eyes | more or less normal |
| Type of mouth/snout | more or less normal |
| Position of mouth | terminal |
| Type of scales | |
| Diagnosis |
Lower lobe of pectoral fin with 7 to 8 free rays. A barbel is present on the tip of the snout. Dorsum highly elevated at nape. Branchial membrane free from isthmus. Supralateral and infralateral plates attached to each other on lateral line. Dorsal fins close to each other. Lateral line plates less than 15. |
| Ease of Identification |
| Lateral Lines | Interrupted: No |
| Scales on lateral line | |
| Pored lateral line scales | 6 - 11 |
| Scales in lateral series | |
| Scale rows above lateral line | |
| Scale rows below lateral line | |
| Scales around caudal peduncle | |
| Barbels | 1 |
| Gill clefts (sharks/rays only) | |
| Gill rakers | |
| on lower limb | |
| on upper limb | |
| total | |
| Vertebrae | |
| preanal | |
| total | 35 - 37 |
| Attributes | no striking attributes |
| Fins number | 2 |
| Finlets No. | Dorsal 0 - 0 |
| Ventral 0 - 0 | |
| Spines total | 8 - 11 |
| Soft-rays total | 5 - 7 |
| Adipose fin | absent |
| Attributes | more or less truncate; more or less normal |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Spines total | 0 - 0 |
| Soft-rays total | 8 - 11 |
| Pectoral | Attributes very large , lobe-like |
| Spines 0 | |
| Soft-rays 12 - 14 | |
| Pelvics | Attributes more or less normal |
| Position thoracic beneath origin of D1 | |
| Spines | |
| Soft-rays |