Scientific Name
Photopectoralis hataii
Common Name
Hatai's ponyfish
Biology
Dorsal
spines
(total): 8;
Dorsal
soft rays
(total): 16;
Anal
spines: 3;
Anal
soft rays: 14;
Vertebrae: 24. Mouth protruding forward, not downward; teeth small, slender, pointed, uniserial on jaws; membrane between jaws and cheeks densely pigmented, with a black line between anteroventral margin of eye and the lower articulation when mouth closed; lateral line incomplete, ending below base of 11th to 15th dorsal fin soft ray; body rather deep, 40-44% SL; posterior limb of maxilla long, 27-30% HL; anteroventral profile of lower jaw slightly concave; belly almost wholly scaled; large blotch below base of dorsal fin spine (Ref. 49864).