| Total vertebrae 36; dorsal fin rays 28-32; anal fin rays 22-25; pectoral fin rays 27-32; pelvic disk >35% HL by postflexion stage; principal caudal fin rays 11; nostrils double; pigmentation pattern.
Pigmentation:
Preflexion-flexion: On gular region; on lower jaw spreading to upper jaw; ventrally on gut; spreading posteriad over tail; along base of caudal fin.
Postflexion: Fading on pectoral fin, anal fin, and tail.
Transformation: Uniformly scattered over tail and dorsolaterally on head; absent on pectoral fin, gut, and ventrolaterally on head.
Juvenile: Varies from uniform, to stripes, to reticulate patterns.
Sequence of fin development: pectoral fin, caudal fin, first dorsal fin, anal fin, second dorsal fin, pelvic disk. |