| Main Ref. | Larson, H.K., 1983 |
| Appearance refers to | |
| Bones in OsteoBase |
| Specialized organs | |
| Different appearance | |
| Different colors | |
| Remarks |
| Striking features | |
| Body shape lateral | elongated |
| Cross section | compressed |
| Dorsal head profile | |
| Type of eyes | |
| Type of mouth/snout | |
| Position of mouth | |
| Type of scales | |
| Diagnosis |
Compressed head and body, and rather small eyes and sculpturing on the angle of the preopercle. Pelvic fins fused to form rounded cup, and frenum folded forming an anteriorly-facing pocket. Head and nape without scales. Eyes set laterally and high on head. Interorbital wide, about twice eye diameter. Mouth anterior and oblique, with several rows of curved pointed teeth. Tongue blunt or bilobed. Gill opening wide, gill membranes free of isthmus and each other until they meet as isthmus at a point below the eye. Unpaired fins low. Pectoral rays 19, branched in adults (Ref. 11432). |
| Ease of Identification |
| Lateral Lines | Interrupted: No |
| Scales on lateral line | 32 |
| Pored lateral line scales | |
| Scales in lateral series | |
| Scale rows above lateral line | |
| Scale rows below lateral line | |
| Scales around caudal peduncle | |
| Barbels | |
| Gill clefts (sharks/rays only) | |
| Gill rakers | |
| on lower limb | |
| on upper limb | |
| total | |
| Vertebrae | |
| preanal | |
| total |
| Attributes | |
| Fins number | 2 |
| Finlets No. | Dorsal 0 - 0 |
| Ventral 0 - 0 | |
| Spines total | 7 - 7 |
| Soft-rays total | 8 - 8 |
| Adipose fin | absent |
| Attributes | more or less truncate; more or less normal |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Spines total | 1 - 1 |
| Soft-rays total | 9 - 9 |
| Pectoral | Attributes more or less normal |
| Spines 0 | |
| Soft-rays 19 - 19 | |
| Pelvics | Attributes joint, cup-like |
| Position thoracic beneath origin of D1 | |
| Spines | |
| Soft-rays |