| Main Ref. | Randall, J.E., G.R. Allen and R.C. Steene, 1990 |
| Appearance refers to | |
| Bones in OsteoBase |
| Specialized organs | |
| Different appearance | |
| Different colors | |
| Remarks |
| Striking features | striking fins |
| Body shape lateral | short and / or deep |
| Cross section | compressed |
| Dorsal head profile | clearly concave |
| Type of eyes | more or less normal |
| Type of mouth/snout | tube-like |
| Position of mouth | terminal |
| Type of scales | |
| Diagnosis |
Strongly compressed discoid body. Tubular snout with a small mouth containing numerous elongate bristle-like teeth. Dorsal spines elongated into a whip-like filament. Description: Characterized further by having distinctive pattern of alternating yellow and black bars; long snout and tubular with small mouth; teeth slender, slightly incurved and in an single row in each jaw; adult with bony projection in front of each eye (Ref. 90102). |
| Ease of Identification |
| Lateral Lines | 1 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 | 0 |
| Gill clefts (sharks/rays only) | |
| Gill rakers | |
| on lower limb | 10 - 10 |
| on upper limb | 1 - 1 |
| total | 11 - 11 |
| Vertebrae | |
| preanal | |
| total |
| Attributes | first fin ray very elongated |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Finlets No. | Dorsal 0 - 0 |
| Ventral 0 - 0 | |
| Spines total | 6 - 7 |
| Soft-rays total | 39 - 43 |
| Adipose fin | absent |
| Attributes | more or less truncate; more or less normal |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Spines total | 3 - 3 |
| Soft-rays total | 31 - 37 |
| Pectoral | Attributes more or less normal |
| Spines 0 | |
| Soft-rays 18 - 19 | |
| Pelvics | Attributes more or less normal |
| Position thoracic beneath origin of D1 | |
| Spines | |
| Soft-rays |