| Main Ref. | Ng, H.H., 2003 |
| Appearance refers to | |
| Bones in OsteoBase |
| Specialized organs | |
| Different appearance | |
| Different colors | |
| Remarks |
| Striking features | |
| Body shape lateral (shape guide) | elongated |
| Cross section | |
| Dorsal head profile | |
| Type of eyes | |
| Type of mouth/snout | |
| Position of mouth | terminal |
| Type of scales | |
| Diagnosis |
Distinguished from all congeners in having a unique combination of the following characters: lack of dorsal fin; vomerine in two separate patches; head width 7.9-9.4% SL; 24-28 gill rakers on first gill arch; 9 branchiostegal rays; and more laterally positioned eyes with only ventral half of orbital margin visible when head is viewed from below (interorbital distance 34.2-43.4% HL) (Ref. 55768). |
| Ease of Identification |
| Lateral Lines | Interrupted: No |
| Scales on lateral line | |
| Pored lateral line scales | |
| Scales in lateral series | |
| Scale rows above lateral line | |
| Scale rows below lateral line | |
| Scales around caudal peduncle | |
| Barbels | 2 |
| Gill clefts (sharks/rays only) | |
| Gill rakers | |
| on lower limb | |
| on upper limb | |
| total | 24 - 28 |
| Vertebrae | |
| preanal | |
| total | 48 - 50 |
| Attributes | greatly reduced or absent |
| Fins number | |
| Finlets No. | Dorsal |
| Ventral | |
| Spines total | 0 - 0 |
| Soft-rays total | 0 - 0 |
| Adipose fin | absent |
| Attributes | forked |
| Fins number | |
| Spines total | |
| Soft-rays total | 68 - 73 |
| Pectoral | Attributes |
| Spines 1 | |
| Soft-rays 10 - 12 | |
| Pelvics | Attributes |
| Position | |
| Spines | |
| Soft-rays 5 - 5 |