| Main Ref. | De Vos, L., 2001 |
| Appearance refers to | |
| Bones in OsteoBase |
| Specialized organs | |
| Different appearance | |
| Different colors | |
| Remarks |
| Striking features | striking barbel(s) |
| Body shape lateral | fusiform / normal |
| Cross section | |
| Dorsal head profile | |
| Type of eyes | more or less normal |
| Type of mouth/snout | sucker-like |
| Position of mouth | sub-terminal/inferior |
| Type of scales | |
| Diagnosis |
Moderately sized species; snout rounded; lips give a distinctive horseshoe-shaped appearance to mouth in ventral view and with prominent lateral lobes; snout long (58.8-68.8%HL), 6-8 long teeth, each tooth curved distally upwards; maxillary barbel with a distinct marginal membrane at base and with well-developed thin tuberculate branches on anterior side; adipose fin well developed and separated from dorsal fin by a distance measuring 16.4-22.3%SL (Ref. 39831). Overall coloration of adult fish light brown with a white belly, caudal fin brownish, young fish brownish with irregular, broad white dendritic streaks on the flanks (Ref. 39831). |
| Ease of Identification |
| Lateral Lines | Interrupted: No |
| Scales on lateral line | |
| Pored lateral line scales | |
| 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 | 10 - 11 |
| on upper limb | 2 - 2 |
| total | 13 - 14 |
| Vertebrae | |
| preanal | |
| total |
| Attributes | first rays forming locking device |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Finlets No. | Dorsal 0 - 0 |
| Ventral 0 - 0 | |
| Spines total | 3 - 3 |
| Soft-rays total | 7 - 7 |
| Adipose fin | present |
| Attributes | forked |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Spines total | 0 - 0 |
| Soft-rays total | 11 - 12 |
| Pectoral | Attributes 1st ray hardened with locking structure |
| Spines 1 | |
| Soft-rays 8 - 8 | |
| Pelvics | Attributes more or less normal |
| Position abdominal behind origin of D1 | |
| Spines 0 | |
| Soft-rays 7 - 7 |