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Diagnosis: moderately large sized and moderately slender, macrognathic species; dorsal head profile smoothly curved; snout rather acute; teeth strongly curved; distinct mid-lateral band, broader in males than in females, and thinner and interrupted dorsal lateral band present; ripening male with snout and cheek brownish grey, gill cover and the rostral part of flank golden brown, and ventral side, belly, caudo-ventral part of flank and caudal peduncle blackish (Ref. 74923).
Description: body moderately slender and moderately compressed; dorsal head profile with a slight bend at the tip of the premaxillary pedicel; cephalic line openings not enlarged, lateral line canals on lachrymal not visible; eye and pupil circular; mouth slightly oblique; lips slightly broadened; premaxilla not expanded medially; exposed part of maxilla non bullate, posterior tip reaching or just passing vertical through anterior eye margin; lower jaw isognathous
or slightly prognathous, slightly protruding; rostral outline of lower jaw convex, mental area rounded; no mental prominence; lateral sides of lower jaw oblique; 5-6 vertical scale rows on cheek; scales on head and rostral part of dorsum cycloid; chest scales cycloid or slightly ctenoid laterally, cycloid ventrally; scales on remaining parts of body ctenoid; proximal 2/3 of caudal fin covered with small elongated, ctenoid scales; no scale sheath at the base of dorsal and anal fins; except in the holotype (a large, ripening male), dorsal and anal fins do not reach base of caudal fin, and pectoral and pelvic fins do not reach anal fin origin; lowermost 4 gill rakers on lower part of first gill arch reduced, cone shaped, uppermost 3 short with expanded heads, remaining ones short with simple heads; intestine length varies from 0.9-1.2 times standard length (n = 5); following the definitions of Zihler (1982) the arrangement of the digestive tracks of adults Type D (with backflap); oral teeth in the outer row moderately stout, conical and moderately acutely pointed unicuspids; premaxillary teeth strongly curved; as a consequence, apart from the most anterior placed ones, premaxillary teeth hardly visible; lower jaw teeth moderately curved; inner row teeth are smaller replica’s of outer row teeth; in both jaws inner row teeth strongly curved; dental arcade rounded in both jaws, with 2 inner rows in the lower jaw, 2-3 in the upper jaw and distance between outer row and first inner row slightly larger than distance between inner rows; 29-35 teeth in outer row of upper jaw, 22-25 in lower jaw; outer teeth regularly set at a distance equal to slightly larger than diameter of tooth base; outer row teeth in upper jaw recumbent; outer row teeth in lower jaw, rostrally erect to slightly procumbent, laterally recumbent; all inner row teeth strongly recumbent; dentigerous arm of premaxilla longer than ascending arm, with angle between arms 80° and both arms relatively broad; ventral outline of dentigerous arm of premaxilla slightly concave; mandible relatively stout; length/depth ratio of mandible 2.4; the tooth bearing part of mandible slightly less than half jaw length (Ref. 74923).
Coloration: Live quiescent male: upper lip, dorsal part of snout and dorsal head surface dark grey; ventral snout, rostral part of cheek and gill cover silvery, caudal part of cheek white; black opercular blotch extended forward to caudal margin of eye; lower lip whitish; lower jaw, interopercular and preopercular pinkish; iris dark blue, thin inner ring golden yellow; dorsum and dorsal part of caudal peduncle dark grey, a black dorsal lateral line runs beneath dorsal fin just above lateral line; flank light yellow, caudal peduncle grey; broad, black mid-lateral band begins at operculum (rather indistinct on first two scales) and continues to base of caudal fin; branchiostegal membrane, chest, belly and ventral side white; dorsal fin greyish with dark grey lappets and many dark grey-red streaks between rays; caudal fin greyish hyaline, medially with black membrane, dorsally and caudally with dark streaks between rays, distal part ventrally bright red, dorsally grey with red flush; anal fin pink around spines, rayed part pinkish hyaline, except for area around 3 medium sized orange egg dummies which is darker grey; anal fin with 2-4 rather large, bright orange egg dummies with white inner ring and hyaline outer ring; pectorals hyaline, pelvics sooty laterally merging into hyaline medially (Ref. 74923). Live ripening male: ground colour of head grey; lateral part of lower lip lighter, caudo-ventral corner of cheek and operculum whitish; iris dark blue, thin inner ring golden yellow; black opercular blotch rostrally extended to preoperculum; dorsal part of upper lip and snout, dorsal head profile, dorsum and caudal peduncle dark grey; ventral side, belly and caudal part of flank dark grey; lateral part of chest whitish; rostral part of flank lighter grey; inner ring of eye golden yellow; broad, black mid lateral band begins at operculum and continues to base of caudal fin; black dorsal lateral line runs beneath dorsal fin just above lateral line; dorsal fin greyish with black lappets; caudal half of fin with wide black streaks between spines and rays merging into red spots on rayed part; caudal fin dark grey blue proximally, grey distally; medially with dark streaks between rays, dorsally and ventrally with dark spots between rays; anal fin black on proximal half, distal half reddish rostrally, hyaline caudally; 3 medium-sized orange egg dummies with thin white rim on caudal part of black proximal half; pectorals hyaline, pelvics dark grey to black (Ref. 74923). Live females: lips, snout and dorsal head surface brownish grey; cheek and gill cover silvery white; large, dark, opercular blotch broadly extended to preoperculum and more indistinctly to eye margin; preopercular area pinkish yellow; dorsal half of iris bluish grey, ventral half golden yellow; dorsal half with thin yellow inner ring; branchiostegal membrane, chest and ventral side white; dorsal part of flank and caudal peduncle grey with yellow flush, ventral part light yellow; distinct black mid lateral band from operculum to caudal fin base; on darker dorsum the interrupted dorsal lateral band is less distinct; dorsal fin yellowish grey with dark lappets and grey streaks between rays; caudal fin dark grey proximally, distal part hyaline greyish with yellow flush; anal fin transparent yellowish, with 2 darker yellow spots caudally on proximal part; pectorals hyaline, pelvics white (Ref. 74923). Preserved ripening male: head and body brownish, lower lip, interorbital area and area between dorsal lateral band and mid lateral band lighter ivory-brown; snout and lateral sides of lower jaw sooty; dorsal half of gill cover blackish; body with broad, irregularly shaped mid lateral band running from gill cover to caudal fin base and a thinner and much less distinct dorsal lateral band; traces of 6 vertical bars which are more distinct in light area between lateral bands and on rostral part of flank; vhe ventral half of flank and caudal peduncle dark brown to sooty caudally; dorsal fin dark hyaline, darker proximally with dark grey lappets; pectorals hyaline; pelvics black; anal fin hyaline, but sooty proximally and rostrally, with 3 dark rimmed, ivory egg dummies; caudal fin dark hyaline, rays brownish, darker streaks and spots between rays (Ref. 74923). Preserved females: head and body brownish, upper lip, snout, post orbital area, and dorsal parts of head and body darker; opercular blotch almost black; body with black, complete mid lateral band and incomplete dorsal lateral band; all fins hyaline; lappets of dorsal fin dark; mid lateral band continued on base of caudal fin, membranes between 3 medial fin rays also black (Ref. 74923). |