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Dorsal spines (total): 13-15; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10-11; Anal spines: 3-3; Anal soft rays: 7-8. Diagnosis: A small Hemichromis characterized by a small mouth and moderately protractile premaxilla, an extensive, stochastically distributed pattern of blue spangling on the head and flanks, a round black lateral spot located above the midlateral line, a rather short snout, 7.8-10.8% of standard length, moderately wide interorbital distance, 9.6-11.8% of standard length, deep caudal peduncle, 17.6-19.8% of standard length, and a strongly sagittiform, heavily dentigerous lower pharyngeal bone with 20-24 teeth along its posterior margin; lower pharyngeal dentition crested, with a major cusp and a rounded shoulder with two or three distinct serrations evident, both the postero-laterals and medians bulbous and enlarged (Ref. 43352).
Description: Body ovoid to club-like, depth 2.4-2.9 in the standard length; head large, its length 2.6-3.0 in the standard length (Ref. 43352, 52307). Cranial profile slightly convex, with a very slight tendency towards frontal gibbosity in very large specimens (Ref. 43352). Mouth moderate, premaxilla moderately protractile, lower jaw slightly prominent; snout length 3.5-4.7 in that of the head; orbital diameter 3.2-4.1, interorbital distance 3.2-3.6 in the head length (Ref. 43352). Branchiospines on the first branchial arch as for the genus, 2/7-8 (Ref. 43352). Depth of caudal peduncle 0.6-0.8 in its length (Ref. 43352). Squamation cycloid, pattern of the circuli gothic; scales in a longitudinal series 26-27; scales in vertical series 2 1/2/2/7 1/2; lateral line scales 16-18/8-11 (Ref. 43352). Dorsal fin with XIII-XV spines and 10-11 soft rays; the dorsal spines increase progressively in length from the first to the last; anal fin with III spines and 7-8 soft rays; pectorals moderate, rounded; caudal fin rounded truncate (Ref. 43352). Buccal teeth of the outer row strong, unicuspid, increasing slightly in size anteriorly, the medians roughly half again as long as the postlaterals; disposition of the inner buccal teeth as follows: P/P 1, P/A -, A/P 1, A/A 18; inner teeth in upper jaw an incomplete row, in the lower jaw usually only present as a single median pair; crowns of the outer buccal teeth strongly pigmented (Ref. 43352). Lower pharyngeal bone strongly sagittiform, heavily dentigerous, pattern of dentition as in Hemichromis bimaculatus; lower pharyngeal dentition pleuricuspid, minor cusp rounded, with three distinct serrations evident, posterolaterals and medians bulbous and enlarged (Ref. 43352).
Colouration: The stochastically distributed pattern of light-centered scales on the flanks suggests an analogous pattern of iridescent blue spangles on the head and body in living fish (Ref. 43352). Living colouration is currently unknown (Ref. 52307). Preserved specimens are light to dark brown, with the ventral regions a bit paler; iridiophores are often present on every area of the fish, but may also be totally absent from some specimens; when visible, the iridiophores never seem to be present in large numbers and are primarily found on the head, dorsal and caudal fins; the lateral spot is normally visible, rounded to ovoid in shape, lacking a lighter border and situated above the mid-body; a black spot on the caudal peduncle is also present (Ref. 52307). |