Diagnosis |
Characterized by the combination of a predominant 1-2-2 pattern of interdigitation of dorsal pterygiophores and neural spines; 14 caudal-fin rays; 91-100 dorsal-fin rays; 78-87 anal-fin rays; 50-54 vertebrae, a pointed snout, black peritoneum, and distinctive features of its ocular- and blind-side coloration (in alcohol) including ocular-side background coloration uniformly bright (freshly captured) to darker reddish-brown with some specimens having a series of faint, reddish-brown, incomplete crossbands; outer surface of ocular-side opercle yellowish with reddish-brown speckles; dorsal and anal fins darker reddish-brown anteriorly, fading to a pale reddish posteriorly; blind side uniformly yellowish to straw-colored, except proximal pterygiophore regions of dorsal and anal fins with dense covering of reddish-brown speckles; both sides of dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins covered with dense concentrations of small red speckles; speckling especially dense on blind-side body in region around anus and also on both sides of pelvic fin (Ref. 51120). |