| stalked eyes |
| normal (not striking) |
|
| stalked eyes |
| elongated |
| |
|
| no spines |
no spines |
| no rows |
| one dorso-ventral cluster or band |
| melanophores on head + trunk |
| no rows |
| no other melanophores |
| melanophores on head + trunk |
| pigmented |
unpigmented |
| with row of melanophores |
| normal with few scattered melanophores |
| normal (i.e. small or absent) without melanophores |
| Eye stalks short and only in early preflexion stage; fin rays form in finfold, away from body margin; sparse pigmentation; distinctive hindgut pigment series; 0-1 ventrolateral melanophores on trunk vs. 2-5 in L. schmidti; caudal peduncle lacks pigment; lower total vertebral count than in L. schmidti (39-42 vs. 47-52).
Pigmentation:
Preflexion: oil globule melanophores migrate dorsally to either right or left side of trunk; diminishes from notochord and disappears by flexion stage; 1 (large) on hindgut, then others appear to form a series; pair below pectoral fin base in half the specimens (about 10% have 1 on one side and 40% have none); on lower and upper jaws.
Flexion-postflexion: hindgut series increases to 5-6; opercular patch; on isthmus; over brain and nape; on pectoral girdle.
Sequence of fin development: caudal, dorsal and anal, pectorals, pelvics.
Distinguished from L. schmidti by: lack of lower trunk and postanal blotches. |
