| Main Ref. | Heemstra, P.C. and J.E. Randall, 1993 |
| Appearance refers to | |
| Bones in OsteoBase |
| Specialized organs | |
| Different appearance | |
| Different colors | |
| Remarks |
| Striking features | none |
| Body shape lateral (shape guide) | short and / or deep |
| Cross section | compressed |
| 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 | superior |
| Type of scales | ctenoid scales |
| Diagnosis |
This species is distinguished by the following characters: deep and compressed body with greatest depth 2.1-2.4 in SL; dorsal head profile steep, straight, or slightly concave along snout and distinctly convex from eye to dorsal fin; longitudinal scale series 94-104; gill rakers 8-11 + 15-17; in adults the middle dorsal and anal-fin rays are elongated, giving these fins an angular profile, with the rear margin almost vertical; caudal fin truncate, 8 branched rays in upper lobe and 7 in lower lobe; pectoral fins asymmetric, 17-19 rays. Colour of body dark brown to black, occasionally with an orange cast, usually with a pale vertical bar on side of abdomen; inside of mouth, gill cavity and upper jaw membranes reddish orange; juveniles with a broad white posterior margin on caudal fin and a narrow white margin on soft dorsal fin (Ref 5222). |
| Ease of Identification |
| Lateral Lines | 1 Interrupted: No |
| Scales on lateral line | 48 - 54 |
| Pored lateral line scales | |
| Scales in lateral series | |
| Scale rows above lateral line | |
| Scale rows below lateral line | |
| Scales around caudal peduncle | |
| Barbels | 0 |
| Gill clefts (sharks/rays only) | |
| Gill rakers | |
| on lower limb | 15 - 17 |
| on upper limb | 8 - 10 |
| total | 23 - 27 |
| Vertebrae | |
| preanal | |
| total |
| Attributes | no striking attributes |
| Fins number | 1notched No |
| Finlets No. | Dorsal 0 - 0 |
| Ventral 0 - 0 | |
| Spines total | 9 - 9 |
| Soft-rays total | 17 - 18 |
| Adipose fin | absent |
| Attributes | more or less truncate; more or less normal |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Spines total | 3 - 3 |
| Soft-rays total | 8 - 9 |
| Pectoral | Attributes more or less normal |
| Spines 0 | |
| Soft-rays 17 - 19 | |
| Pelvics | Attributes more or less normal |
| Position thoracic beneath origin of D1 | |
| Spines 1 | |
| Soft-rays 5 - 5 |