Morphology Data of Procerusternarchus pixuna
Identification keys
Abnormalities
Main Ref. Cox Fernandes, C., A. Nogueira and J.A. Alves-Gomes, 2014
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
Dorsal head profile more or less straight
Type of eyes
Type of mouth/snout
Position of mouth terminal
Type of scales
Diagnosis

Procerusternarchus pixuna is distinguished from species of the genera Microsternarchus and Racenisia by the following characters: apomorphic presence of a deep, semi-transparent, large myogenic electric organ located along the body above the anal fin, between the ventral margin of the hypaxial muscle and dorsal margin of the anal fin muscle (pinnalis analis externalis) (vs. electric organ is not as deep and only semi-transparent at the end of the caudal); plesiomorphic condition of a fully-scaled body, with scalation on the dorsoanterior part of the body and along the middorsum, directly behind the extrascapular on the back of the head, on the nape (vs. scales absent from anterior upper to middle back); psiomorphic condition of 10 rows of embedded scales above the lateral line (vs. 3-4 in species of Microsternarchus and 4-5 in species of Racenisia); uniformly darker body; a dark line along the area above the lateral line (vs. back and top of the head also dark and a paler brownish ventral part of the body); and oblique band/blotches on the dorsal part of the body. Other characters useful to distinguish Procerusternarchus pixuna include: slightly projecting and elongated snout, 26.0-34.6% of head (H); head depth at occiput 49.7-68.9% of H; head length 1.2-14.5%; distance from eye to posterior naris, 3.9-10.9% of H; caudal filament length 19.1-27.5% of TL; caudal filament depth 1.1-1.9% of LEA; 175-242 anal-fin rays; 11-14 pectoral-fin rays; 13-15 pleural ribs, and 2-5 modified pleural ribs in the posteroventral wall of the abdominal cavity attached loosely and next to the first haemal spine;14-17 precaudal vertebrae; and 73-76 caudal vertebrae (Ref. 102656).

Description: caudal fin absent; urogenital papilla well developed in some individuals (Ref. 102656).

Ease of Identification

Meristic characteristics of Procerusternarchus pixuna

Lateral Lines Interrupted: No
Scales on lateral line
Pored lateral line scales
Scales in lateral series
Scale rows above lateral line 8 - 12
Scale rows below lateral line 14 - 18
Scales around caudal peduncle
Barbels
Gill clefts (sharks/rays only)
Gill rakers
on lower limb
on upper limb
total
Vertebrae
preanal 14 - 17
total

Fins

Dorsal fin(s)

Attributes greatly reduced or absent
Fins number
Finlets No. Dorsal   
Ventral  
Spines total
Soft-rays total
Adipose fin absent

Caudal fin

Attributes other (see remark)

Anal fin(s)

Fins number
Spines total
Soft-rays total 175 - 242

Paired fins

Pectoral Attributes  
Spines     
Soft-rays   11 - 14
Pelvics Attributes  suppressed/absent
Position    absent
Spines     
Soft-rays   
Main Ref. (e.g. 9948)
Glossary ( e.g. cephalopods )
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