| Main Ref. | Uiblein, F., J.G. Nielsen and P.R. Møller, 2008 |
| Appearance refers to | Male; Female |
| Bones in OsteoBase |
| Specialized organs | other |
| Different appearance | always different morphology between mature adults |
| Different colors | always different colors between mature adults |
| Remarks | Males possess a unique sound-producing apparatus formed from the gas bladder, ribs, and vertebrae, which is probably used in courtship or mating activities. |
| Striking features | long whip-like tail |
| Body shape lateral | elongated |
| Cross section | oval |
| Dorsal head profile | more or less straight |
| Type of eyes | more or less normal |
| Type of mouth/snout | more or less normal |
| Position of mouth | terminal |
| Type of scales | cycloid scales |
| Diagnosis |
This species is distinguished and differs from S. crassus by the following characters: number of dorsal-fin rays 135-148 (121-139), anal-fin rays 101-112 (vs. 91-102), total vertebrae 77-88 (vs. 71-78), otolith ostium depth in % of sulcus length 19-29 (vs. 30-40) (Ref. 80689). |
| Ease of Identification | likely to be confused with closely related species. |
| 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 | |
| on upper limb | 3 - 5 |
| total | 18 - 22 |
| Vertebrae | |
| preanal | |
| total | 77 - 88 |
| Attributes | extending over most of the back length |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Finlets No. | Dorsal 0 - 0 |
| Ventral 0 - 0 | |
| Spines total | 0 - 0 |
| Soft-rays total | 135 - 148 |
| Adipose fin | absent |
| Attributes | pointed; confluent |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Spines total | 0 - 0 |
| Soft-rays total | 101 - 112 |
| Pectoral | Attributes more or less normal |
| Spines 0 | |
| Soft-rays | |
| Pelvics | Attributes reduced to filaments |
| Position jugular before origin of D1 | |
| Spines 0 | |
| Soft-rays |