| Main Ref. | Cohen, D.M., T. Inada, T. Iwamoto and N. Scialabba, 1990 |
| Appearance refers to | |
| Bones in OsteoBase |
| Specialized organs | |
| Different appearance | |
| Different colors | |
| Remarks |
| Striking features | striking shape of body |
| Body shape lateral | elongated |
| Cross section | circular |
| Dorsal head profile | clearly convex |
| Type of eyes | more or less normal |
| Type of mouth/snout | more or less normal |
| Position of mouth | sub-terminal/inferior |
| Type of scales | ctenoid scales |
| Diagnosis |
Head large; the eyes also large; head ridges well developed; the snout tipped with a blunt tubercular scute. Scales covered with short, rather broad spinules, arranged in 4 to 9 widely divergent rows. Overall color brownish, bluish ventrally on belly; the mouth and gill cavities blackish, but the latter with whitish hyoid area along its posterior margin; the fins dusky or blackish. |
| Ease of Identification |
| Lateral Lines | 1 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 | 1 |
| Gill clefts (sharks/rays only) | |
| Gill rakers | |
| on lower limb | 9 - 10 |
| on upper limb | 1 - 2 |
| total | 10 - 12 |
| Vertebrae | |
| preanal | |
| total |
| Attributes | extending over most of the back length |
| Fins number | 2 |
| Finlets No. | Dorsal 0 - 0 |
| Ventral 0 - 0 | |
| Spines total | 0 - 0 |
| Soft-rays total | |
| Adipose fin | absent |
| Attributes |
| Fins number | |
| Spines total | 0 - 0 |
| Soft-rays total |
| Pectoral | Attributes more or less normal |
| Spines | |
| Soft-rays 17 - 21 | |
| Pelvics | Attributes more or less normal |
| Position thoracic beneath origin of D1 | |
| Spines | |
| Soft-rays |