| Diagnostic characters: large head and tapering body; gut mass trails posteriad; five exserted dorsal fin rays develop by 6.0 mm SL but they are no longer than other fin rays (in other species of Symphurus, elongate anterior dorsal fin rays persist); pelvic fin on blind side begins disappearing at 18.0-22.0 mm SL.
Pigment: small melanophores along dorsal midline, larger along ventral midline; single band posteriad on tail; large blotches at finfold margin, with development restricted to along the distal edges; head, gut, and swimbladder.
Sequence of fin development: anterior dorsal; caudal, dorsal, and anal; pelvics (pectorals disappear at metamorphosis). |
