Amissidens

Alexandre P. Marceniuk & Naércio A. Menezes, 2007, Systematics of the family Ariidae (Ostariophysi, Siluriformes), with a redefinition of the genera., Zootaxa 1416, pp. 1-126 : 10-11

Amissidens Kailola, 2004

Amissidens Kailola, 2004: 125. Type species: Arius hainesi Kailola, 2000. Type by original designation. Gender: masculine

Diagnosis. The following diagnostic characters are quoted from Kailola (2004). “Toothless palate, deeply excavated and elongate dorsomedian fontanel, two large epithelial flaps on the palate posterior and double folds of epithelial tissue on the upper limb of the first two gill arches, and rakers present along the back of all gill arches. Pads on the pelvic fins of mature females are scalloped and tapered and the gonads in females are united along their proximal third. The metapterygoid is enlarged and ends well past the hind border of the quadrate, and the fin spines are thin, long and slender. The frontal-lateral ethmoid space is large and the lateral ethmoid is prominent. The palatine are long, the jaws are thin, and the premaxillarys short with truncate lateral margin. The laminar bone over the anterior vertebrae is extensive, and the Mullerian ramus is long. The triangular supraoccipital process has a prominent median keel. The short posterior cleithral process is heavily ossified anteroventrally. The jaw teeth are slender, in a short, oblong band, the lips are fleshy and thin and the mouth is small and almost quadrangular, all of the premaxillary tooth band is visible when the mouth is closed. A shallow groove is usually present on the snout between the posterior nostrils. The barbels are thin and wisp-like distally, the longest reaching only past the eye, the bases of the chin barbels are close together and aligned transversely. The eye is large. The gill openings are somewhat restricted and there are many gill rakers. The adipose fin is short-base and situated posteriorly. The lateral line turns dorsal at the tail base. The branchial chamber and sometimes the hind part of the mouth often are colored dark brown or purplish charcoal. Seven to ten longitudinal ridges or furrows develop in the skin of the nape and upper sides with growth.”

Remarks. The type-species of the genus recently described by Kailola (2000b) is rare in museum collections and could not be obtained for study.

Distribution and habitat. Southern New Guinea and northern Australia, marine and brackish waters.