| High total vertebral count (42-46); slender body and gut; gut becomes trailing at flexion stage; head flattened; elliptical eyes on moderately long stalks; dorsal fin forms at margin of finfold; distinctive pigment pattern; attains large size (up to about 30 mm). Br2 appear at >20 mm.
Pigmentation:
Preflexion: by 4.0 mm, 2 (apposing) on dorsum and ventrum near notochord tip, 4-6 laterally on gut, 2-6 paired dashes on isthmus, 2-4 paired ventrolateral dashes just posterior to cleithrum, 1 to several on terminal section of gut, on tip and lateral surface of lower jaw, 2-3 postanally at ventral margin, and several on lower edge of gill cover; by 6.0 mm, 3-4 dashes on isthmus, 2-5 at postanal ventral margin, several on ventral finfold; by end of preflexion, 7-10 laterally on gut, 2-3 on lateral margins of midbrain, apposing blotches at notochord tip (dispersed to hypural region).
Flexion: 6-9 at postanal ventral margin, series on anterior margin of upper jaw; series on anal fin rays; peppering on trailing gut.
Postflexion: postanal and lateral gut series augmented, peppering basally an don upper and lower regions of caudal fin; series on branchiostegal rays; on finfold anterior to caudal fin.
Sequence of fin development: caudal, pectorals and anal, dorsal, pelvics. |
