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Dorsal soft rays (total): 5-5; Anal soft rays: 4-4; Vertebrae: 18-18. This species is distinguished by the following set of characters: D 5; A 4; P 15; esca with a single large, highly elongated (2.5 times greater than height of bulb) anterior process devoid of appendages but multiply branching at the top (length of branches approximately 1/9 of total length of entire appendage), it is completely pigmented in basal half of its length and containing a pigmented inner core in distal part; the core occupies approximately 2/3 of length of distal half of appendage and ends with multiple pigmented specks (without 'eyespot'); sides of base of anterior process bear a pair of short (commensurate with height of terminal papillae), fan shaped, multiply branching anterolateral processes; the central process is very short, comblike, with long base, branching directly from the base; posterior process moderately long, somewhat longer than height of bulb, pinnately branched (filaments arranged more or less oppositely), unpigmented; the terminal papilla high (approximately one third of height of bulb) and conical; bulb with internal pigmentation and dorsal pigmented mark, the latter contains a paired round transparent 'eyespot' (Ref. 123293).
Description: presence of unpigmented anterolateral processes (a long multiply branching posterior process), high conical terminal papilla, anterior process pigmented in most part of its length, and a heartshaped suboperculum whose dorsal branch is slightly narrower and longer than the ventral; 10 teeth on praemaxillare, 20 on dentale, 6 on vomer, none on epibranchialia (Ref. 123293). |