Pollimyrus pulverulentus (Boulenger, 1899)
Species overview
Small fish, body moderately short, deep, head about as long as deep, snout blunt, rounded to truncate, moderately protruding mouth; mouth subterminal; caudal peduncle short, slender. Olive-brown, speckled black, fins blackish.
Size observed: 118 mm SL.
P. pulverulentus(measurements)
Taxonomic description
-Body rather deep, strongly laterally compressed, body depth 29-38 % SL, greatest depth above pelvic fin or somewhat behind.
-Head length 27-33 % SL; head depth 26-32 % SL, 64-91 % body depth.
-Outline of back slightly convex, upper profile of head strongly convex up to tip of snout which is strongly curved in smaller specimens, rather blunt or truncate in larger ones, underside of head concave, outline of belly convex. Bases of unpaired fins steeply running to caudal peduncle.
-Snout rounded, 14-23 % head length, 21-39 % postorbital length.
-Mouth 17-24 % head length, subterminal, its edge below anterior rim of the lens, upper jaw on a level with lower edge base of pectoral fin.
-Chin inconspicuous.
-Teeth feebly notched or truncate, 9/10.
-Nostrils separate, circular, posterior nostril slightly deeper than anterior, on a level between lens and lower margin of eye, very close to the eye. Axis of nostrils cutting axis of head at an angle of less than 30°.
-Eye diameter 17-24 % head length, 25-41 % postorbital length.
-Opercular cleft curved 29-37 % head length, 30-43 % head depth.
-Dorsal fin 23-25 fin-rays, base of D 22-26 % SL, anal fin 28-29 rays, base of A 24-29 % SL, origin of D well behind origin of A, end of D opposite to end of A; predorsal length 56-65 % SL, preanal length 54-60 % SL.
-Pectoral fin pointed, extending beyond tip of pelvic fin. V is closer to P than to A.
-Caudal fin obtusely pointed, the scaled lobes half as long as membranous lobes. 50 scales in lateral line; 12 round caudal peduncle.
-Caudal peduncle 15-19 % SL, its depth 4-5 % SL, 21-33 % its length.
-Coloration »Olive brown, speckled with black; fins blackish«.
Types locality:
»Coquilhatville«. recently Mbandaka, Zaïre -Équateur, district of Democratic Republic of Congo. (0° 04 ‘ N 18° 10 ‘ E).
Distribution
»Middle Congo basin«.