| Main Ref. | Fricke, R., 1994 |
| Appearance refers to | |
| Bones in OsteoBase |
| Specialized organs | no special organs |
| Different appearance | always different morphology between mature adults |
| Different colors | always different colors between mature adults |
| Remarks | Males have a more slender body, a slightly higher first dorsal fin, a slightly longer pectoral fin, and a more intensive colouration of the vertical fins. |
| Striking features | striking fins |
| Body shape lateral | elongated |
| Cross section | oval |
| Dorsal head profile | clearly concave |
| Type of eyes | more or less normal |
| Type of mouth/snout | more or less normal |
| Position of mouth | terminal |
| Type of scales | ctenoid scales |
| Diagnosis |
22-26 pored scales in the anterior lateral line series; 0-13 notched scales in the posterior series. The second dorsal fin without an ocellate black blotch but may be distally blackish, the anal fin pale, occasionally with whitish spots; the pelvic fin pale, and the dorsal fine spines each with two large distal spinules. |
| Ease of Identification |
| Lateral Lines | 2 Interrupted: No |
| Scales on lateral line | 31 - 43 |
| Pored lateral line scales | 22 - 26 |
| 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 | 3 |
| Finlets No. | Dorsal 0 - 0 |
| Ventral 0 - 0 | |
| Spines total | 16 - 17 |
| Soft-rays total | 10 - 12 |
| Adipose fin | absent |
| Attributes | more or less truncate; more or less normal |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Spines total | 2 - 2 |
| Soft-rays total | 19 - 22 |
| Pectoral | Attributes more or less normal |
| Spines 0 | |
| Soft-rays 14 - 15 | |
| Pelvics | Attributes largely reduced to one ray |
| Position jugular behind origin of D1 | |
| Spines 1 | |
| Soft-rays 2 - 2 |