Photopectoralis aureus ( Abe and Haneda, 1972 )

Abraham, K. J., Joshi, K. K. & Murty, V. S. R., 2011, Taxonomy of the fishes of the family Leiognathidae (Pisces, Teleostei) from the West coast of India, Zootaxa 2886 (1), pp. 1-18 : 10-11

8. Photopectoralis aureus ( Abe and Haneda, 1972)

(Plate I, Fig. 8; Tables 1 –2)

Equula elongata Günther, 1874 , Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., 4(14):369. Material examined. 2 specimens (both indeterminates) of 71–77 mm TL (Neendakara).

Description. D.VIII, 16; P. ii, 12, ii; V. I, 5; A. III, 14; C. 15.

As percent of standard length: Total length 126.23–126.79 (126.51); fork length 113.11–114.29 (113.70); predorsal 37.50–37.70 (37.60); preanal 52.46–53.57 (53.02); dorsal base 55.74–57.14 (56.44); anal base 40.98–41.07 (41.03); head 29.51–30.36 (29.93); dorsal height (12.50); anal height 7.14–8.20 (7.67); pectoral 14.29–16.39 (15.34); depth 21.43–24.59 (23.01).

As percent of head length: Snout 27.78–29.41 (28.59); eye 27.78–29.41 (28.59); head height 52.94–61.11 (57.03).

Body elongate, slender and moderately compressed. Dorsal and ventral profiles, almost evenly curved and tapering gently to the very short caudal peduncle. Upper surface of head weakly convex. Snout sharp, pointed. Protracted mouth parts point downwards. Narrow band of small teeth in each jaw. Mandibular slightly concave. Lateral line conspicuous at the beginning, but could not be clearly traced thereafter, for the lateral line scales to be counted. Caudal fin deeply forked. Ventrals reaching halfway to the anals. The light organs of males is twenty times longer than conspecific females of similar SL.

Color. Body silvery, back and sides marked with a number of irregular, dark, brownish spots and vermiculations. Underside of pectoral fin with minute dark dots. A black spot at the base of each dorsal and anal ray. Anal fin between second and third spines yellow, as also the margin of the anterior part of the fin. Lower half of the body covered with fine black dots on the sides, the dots on the upper half of the body minute, but just as numerous. Edge of the gill opening on the lower side, covered by the opercular flap also dotted black.

Distribution. Occurs only in stray catches along the coast.