Pollimyrus schreyeni Poll, 1972
Species overview
Very mall fish, body short, deep, head as long as deep, snout truncate, mouth slightly subterminal; caudal peduncle slender, base of dorsal fin very steeply descending. -Body brown with irregular black blotches, first rays of unpaired fins black.
Size observed: 77 mm SL.
P. schreyeni(measurements)
Taxonomic description
-Body short, strongly laterally compressed, body depth 27-34 % SL, greatest depth between pelvic and anal fin or closer to latter.
-Head length 20-29 % SL; head depth 21-26 % SL, % body depth.
-Outline of back slightly convex, outline of belly convex, but truncate on snout, upper profile of head convex, underside of head very feebly concave. Base of dorsal fin very steeply descending to caudal peduncle, a prolongation of it would cut the base of the anal fin which is less steep ascending to caudal peduncle.
-Snout truncate, 11-19 % head length, 20-29 % postorbital length, upper edge of snout on a level with or above upper margin of eye.
-Mouth width 12-19 % head length, slightly subterminal, its edge below posterior nostril, upper jaw on a level with lower edge of opercular cleft.
-Chin inconspicuous.
-Teeth notched, 7/6-9.
-Nostrils separate, circular, anterior nostril on a level above centre of eye, posterior nostril on a level below centre of eye, very close to rim of eye. Axis of nostrils cutting axis of head at an angle of less than 30°.
-Eye diameter 17-25 % head length, 29-44 % postorbital length.
-Opercular cleft slightly curved, 25-44 % head length, 27-41 % head depth.
-Dorsal fin 18-19 fin-rays, base of D 15-18 % SL, anal fin 31-34 rays, base of A 31-36 % SL, origin of D well behind origin of A, end of D well before to end of A; predorsal length 60-62 % SL, preanal length 47-52 % SL.
-Pectoral fin pointed, extending more or less to half the distance between pelvic and anal. V is much closer to P than to A.
-Caudal fin pointed, the scaled lobes rounded, rather short, 1/4 the length of the membranous portion. 51-55 scales in lateral line; 12 round caudal peduncle.
-Caudal peduncle 16-19 % SL, its depth 4-5 % SL, 20-28 % its length. Upper margin of caudal peduncle much longer than its lower margin.
-Coloration Light with irregular, more or less confluent black blotches, in particular on the head, anterior part of back, and close to the anterior regions of the unpaired fins where they may look like a vertical band. Fins colourless except for the first rays of dorsal and anal fin. In young specimens contrast of markings even stronger.
Type locality
»?riv. à 15 km de Boende, route Boende-Watsi«. (Boende 0° 13 ‘ S 20° 52 ‘ E) Zaïre-Équateur, district of Democratic Republic of Congo.
Distribution
»Middle Zaïre, (type locality)«. Democratic Republic of Congo.