Morphology Data of Kneria ruaha
Identification keys
Abnormalities
Main Ref. Seegers, L., 1995
Appearance refers to
Bones in OsteoBase

Sex attributes

Specialized organs
Different appearance
Different colors
Remarks

Descriptive characteristics of juvenile and adult

Striking features
Body shape lateral elongated
Cross section circular
Dorsal head profile
Type of eyes
Type of mouth/snout
Position of mouth sub-terminal/inferior
Type of scales
Diagnosis

Diagnosis: medium sized, robust species with short head (16.4-22.8% SL) and snout (23.3-28.2% HL); dorsal fin origin just opposite to pelvic fin origin; caudal fin shallowly forked, lobes short (112.7-126.0% TL) and rounded; longest dorsal fin ray 92.9-1333.3% HL (Ref. 26644).

Description: body depth 5.2-6.5 times in standard length (SL); head short, 4.4-6.1 times in SL; snout short, 3.5-4.3 times in head length (HL), usually shorter than eye diameter, rarely longer, 0.7-1.2 times its length; eye diameter 3.4 times in HL; elongated folds on eauch side of mouth (Ref. 26644). Mouth terminal in juveniles, inferior in adults (Ref. 44637). Opercular organ present in males, weakly pigmented only, small pigment cells in circles around the rim of this organ, rim narrow with anterior and posterior parts nearly equidistant; postopercular organ weakly developed only, with about 26 weak oblique laminae; lateral line starting above end of opercular organ and following upper edge of postopercular organ, declining at some distance behind the postopercular organ, deepest point on level of posterior end of this organ; scales small and numerous, deeply embedded and very difficult to count (Ref. 26644).

Coloration: in life: body brownish to greyish, darker on back and whitish to yellowish on belly; back and flanks speckled with dark brownish spots which are small in front of the dorsal fin and pelvic fins but larger on posterior part of body, especially on caudal peduncle; these spots are larger along lateral line and start to merge halfway between pectoral and pelvic fins; spots become more and more pronounced on posterior part of body, having the size of the eye or larger behind the dorsal fin, and the interspace between spots becomes silvery to greyish; some specimens with a more prominent midlateral series of spots which may reach more anteriorly (up to the posterior end of pectoral fins or hinder margin of postopercular apparatus in males); fins light brownish to hyaline, without distinct markings (Ref. 26644). Alcohol preserved: ground color differences between back and belly less marked; series of dark spots more prominent and interspace between spots usually darker; fins greyish-brown (Ref. 26644).

Ease of Identification

Meristic characteristics of Kneria ruaha

Lateral Lines Interrupted: No
Scales on lateral line 90 - 108
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
total
Vertebrae
preanal
total

Fins

Dorsal fin(s)

Attributes no striking attributes
Fins number 1
Finlets No. Dorsal   0
Ventral  0
Spines total 0
Soft-rays total 8 - 11
Adipose fin absent

Caudal fin

Attributes forked; more or less normal

Anal fin(s)

Fins number 1
Spines total 0
Soft-rays total 8 - 10

Paired fins

Pectoral Attributes  more or less normal
Spines     0
Soft-rays   15 - 17
Pelvics Attributes  more or less normal
Position    abdominal  behind origin of D1
Spines     0
Soft-rays   8 - 9
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