| Main Ref. | Albert, J.S. and W.G.R. Crampton, 2001 |
| Appearance refers to | |
| Bones in OsteoBase |
| Specialized organs | |
| Different appearance | males alike females |
| Different colors | |
| Remarks |
| Striking features | |
| Body shape lateral (shape guide) | elongated |
| Cross section | circular |
| Dorsal head profile | clearly convex |
| Type of eyes | more or less normal |
| Type of mouth/snout | lower jaw greatly elongated |
| Position of mouth | superior |
| Type of scales | |
| Diagnosis |
Possess reverse counter shading (lighter on top) in which the dark bands are interrupted dorsally and the pale interband regions merge on the dorsum and in which the dorsum has a silver-blue sheen in life, and very large anterior nares (diameter about that of eye), associated with a large cleft in the anterolateral margin of the ethmoid region resulting in a square anterior margin of snout between the anterior nares. With deep body (body depth 11-13% TL versus 6-10): long head (head length 12.7-13.6% TL versus 8.8-12.6), and depressed head (head depth 53-57% TL versus 58-64) (Ref. 41292). |
| Ease of Identification |
| 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 | |
| total | |
| Vertebrae | |
| preanal | |
| total |
| Attributes | |
| Fins number | |
| Finlets No. | Dorsal |
| Ventral | |
| Spines total | |
| Soft-rays total | |
| Adipose fin |
| Attributes |
| Fins number | |
| Spines total | |
| Soft-rays total |
| Pectoral | Attributes |
| Spines | |
| Soft-rays | |
| Pelvics | Attributes |
| Position | |
| Spines | |
| Soft-rays |