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Dorsal spines (total): 15; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 10. Diagnosis: body large, relatively slender and laterally compressed; macrognathic species; large head, long acute snout, acute lower jaw and prominent acute angular area; sides of lower jaw relatively flat; dorsal head profile slightly concave to almost straight; body without bars or stripes; live colors dark (yellowish) grey dorsally, silvery white with a yellow flush laterally, and white ventrally (Ref. 55928).
Description: clear predatory facies; dorsal head profile with a relatively long incurvation above eye; premaxillary pedicel distinct, but smoothly merging into the curvation; gape moderately oblique; premaxilla slightly rostro-ventrad expanded medially, but more expanded in larger specimens; small part of maxilla exposed, vertical line through its posterior most point not touching anterior eye margin; lips broad, not thickened; lateral snout outline isognathous to slightly prognathous; tips of lower jaw protruding; rostral lower jaw outline slightly convex to straight; sides of lower jaw slightly oblique; teeth in outer rows of upper and lower oral jaw in adults moderately stout; cheek deep; mental area acute, with a distinct mental prominence; eye round, relatively small, its dorsal margin not touching dorsal head profile; pupil ovoid, an aphakic space rostral and ventral to the lens; horizontal limb of preoperculum distinctly declining ventrad, vertical limb of preoperculum inclining caudad; cephalic lateral line openings enlarged; lateral line canals on lachrymal not distinct; scales on cheek, gill-cover, interoperculum and nuchal area cycloid, the remainder of body with weakly ctenoid scales; 4 scales rows on cheek; 6 scale rows between bases of pectoral and pelvic fins; caudal fin base and membrane of proximal half of caudal fin covered with elongated weakly ctenoid scales; pectoral and pelvic fins reach a vertical line through origin of anal fin, except in smaller juveniles; anal and dorsal fin remain separated from vertical line through base of caudal fin; caudal peduncle longer than deep; caudal fin outline subtruncate and slightly emarginate (Ref. 55928).
Coloration: Live: Quiescent males: snout dark grey with a yellow flush; head and body greenish-yellow dorsally, yellowish ventrally; dark opercular blotch on gill-cover; dorsal fin greyish with red streaks between rays, lappets dark grey; anal fin red proximally, grey bluish distally; three large yellow egg dummies on caudal part of anal fin; caudal fin dark proximally, hyaline distally, its caudal margin orange red; dark, sometimes reddish spots between rays of caudal fin; pectoral fins hyaline; pelvic fins black (Ref. 55928). Females and juveniles: tip and dorsal part of lower lip, upper lip and snout dark yellowish grey; lower jaw white laterally; cheek silvery with a faint yellowish flush; ventral side of head, preoperculum, ventral part of gill-cover and branchiostegal membrane white; dorsal part of gill-cover apart from a dark opercular blotch, white with yellow flush; dorsal part of head and body dark, brownish; flank yellowish white; chest, belly and ventral side whitish; dorsal fin yellowish hyaline; dark reddish spots and streaks between dorsal fin rays; anal fin hyaline rostrally and proximally, its caudal corner with a yellowish flush; anal fin sometimes with 2-3 faint orange spots with a white rim; caudal fin proximally grey-brownish, distally hyaline; rays of pectoral fins dark, membrane hyaline; pelvic fins hyaline (Ref. 55928). Preserved: apart from a dark opercular blotch, dorsal head surface and dorsum, head and body uniformely yellowish brown; ventral parts of body and head silvery white in specimens not fixed in formalin before preservation in alcohol (Ref. 55928). |