| Main Ref. | Paulin, C. and C. Roberts, 1992 |
| Appearance refers to | |
| Bones in OsteoBase |
| Specialized organs | |
| Different appearance | |
| Different colors | |
| Remarks |
| Striking features | |
| Body shape lateral | elongated |
| Cross section | |
| Dorsal head profile | |
| Type of eyes | |
| Type of mouth/snout | |
| Position of mouth | |
| Type of scales | |
| Diagnosis |
Males uniform grey to black with red fins and a bluish white margin to the anal fin during the breeding season. Females mottled greenish grey with an indistinct broken dark band along the base of the dorsal fins. Distinguished from other triplefins by the flattened pointed head and snout, the short, square caudal peduncle, and by having three spines in the first dorsal fin and 14-16 spines in the second. |
| Ease of Identification |
| Lateral Lines | Interrupted: No |
| Scales on lateral line | 30 - 38 |
| 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 0 - 0 |
| Ventral 0 - 0 | |
| Spines total | 20 - 23 |
| Soft-rays total | 14 - 16 |
| Adipose fin | absent |
| Attributes | more or less truncate; more or less normal |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Spines total | 2 - 2 |
| Soft-rays total | 24 - 27 |
| Pectoral | Attributes |
| Spines 0 | |
| Soft-rays 18 - 19 | |
| Pelvics | Attributes |
| Position | |
| Spines | |
| Soft-rays |