Morphology Summary - Ophichthus chilkensis
Morphology Data of Ophichthus chilkensis
Identification keys
Abnormalities
Main Ref. Kodeeswaran, P., A. Kathirvelpandian, A. Mohapatra, T.T.P.A. Kumar and U.K. Sarkar, 2023
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  (shape guide)
Cross section oval
Dorsal head profile
Type of eyes
Type of mouth/snout
Position of mouth
Type of scales
Diagnosis

This species is characterized by the following: body extremely elongated, subcircular posteriorly following the compressed tail portion, tail tip pointed and strong; depth at gill opening 74.3-92.8 in TL; pre-anal length 2.8-2.9 in TL, HL 18.3-20.4, tail 1.6; snout short, tip conical at dorsal view, ventral side not bisected by a groove; upper jaw moderate, rictus well behind posterior of eye orbit margin, eye moderate, at mid jaw, its length 11.8-16.7 in HL, 3.6-5.6 in upper jaw length; anterior nostril tubular, positioned

toward ventrolaterally; posterior nostril a minute hole; single barbel on upper lip; dorsal-fin origin well behind pectoral-fin tip; pectoral fin short, tip rounded; shorter than jaw; its length 3.6-3.9 in HL; head pores are moderately conspicuous; a single median T and IO pores present; SO pores 1 + 4, first ethmoidal and three pores on snout dorsal surface and a pore between the interorbital space; IO pores 3 + 3, first located in middle of nostrils, second below the mid-eye, third and fourth behind eye orbit and 2 at ascendingly behind the eye; mandibular pores 5 and PO pores 2; LL pores conspicuous before anus; LL pores before gill opening 7-8, before dorsal-fin origin 13-14, before anus 71-74; teeth on jaw multiseries, small, pointed, and conical; intermaxillary with four teeth arranged in row; vomerine 2-3 rows anteriorly, three uniserial teeth posteriorly, extended beyond maxillary teeth row; maxillary and mandibular biserial, teeth size decreases posteriorly; vertebrae: pre-dorsal 12-13; pre-anal 72-73 and total 218-222 (Ref. 130619).

Ease of Identification

Meristic characteristics of Ophichthus chilkensis

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 72 - 73
total 218 - 222

Fins

Dorsal fin(s)

Attributes
Fins number
Finlets No. Dorsal   
Ventral  
Spines total
Soft-rays total
Adipose fin

Caudal fin  (shape guide)

Attributes

Anal fin(s)

Fins number
Spines total
Soft-rays total

Paired fins

Pectoral Attributes  
Spines     
Soft-rays   
Pelvics Attributes  
Position    
Spines     
Soft-rays   
(e.g. 9948)
(e.g. oophagy)
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