| duck-billed shape of head |
| normal (not striking) |
|
| duck-billed shape of head |
| elongated |
| |
|
| |
|
| dorsal + ventral + lateral row |
| no other melanophores |
| melanophores on head + trunk |
| dorsal + ventral row |
| no other melanophores |
| melanophores on head + trunk |
| unpigmented |
unpigmented |
| with row of melanophores |
| normal with few scattered melanophores |
| fin rays only with melanophores |
| Caudal peduncle pigmentation light; by transformation stage, gill filaments elongate and projecting beyond gill cover.
Pigmentation:
Preflexion: on isthmus; laterally on hindbrain; internally at pectoral fin base; 3 patches dorsolaterally on gut; 1-2 melanophores on gut dorsal and posterior to anus; 3-4 in a row anteriorly on dorsum; on distal edge of finfold middorsally; 8-13 scattered at mid-dorsum; 2-7 dorsolaterally on posterior tail myosepta; 17-27 ventrally along tail.
Flexion: on lower jaw tip; snout; line between fore- and midbrain; on mid- and hindbrain; spreading into myosepta from 3 dorsal patches and from ventral tail row.
Postflexion: on upper jaw and angular; vertical row on operculum; on all fins; 7 patches in epaxial myosepta, 2 in midlateral myosepta, 5 in hypaxial myosepta; line at base of caudal fin.
Transformation: heavy blotches linearly associated with 3 muscle bands.
Sequence of fin development: caudal, dorsal, pelvics and anal, pectorals. |