Lepadicyathus mendeleevi Prokofiev 2005

This species is distinguished by the following characters: partial lateral asymmetry, the head slightly asymmetrical when seen from the front; vertebral column bent towards theleft in males, to the right in females, at an angle of 40°-45°, with bending starting slightly before level of anus; anus towards the right-hand side of the body in males, towards the left-hand side in females; position of guts is slightly asymmetrical; gills 3; pelvic fin disc rudimentary, in two parts, with a few rudimentary papillae basally in region B; dorsal-fin rays 11-12; anal-fin rays 10; caudal fin with 10 principal rays; naked skin, the surface of head and body covered with a dense pattern of obliquely arranged striae consisting of minute tubercles (Ref. 117884).Description: This very small species is characterized by the following: low cylindrical body and a strongly flattened head; gill membranes fused with the isthmus; reduced gill rakers; seismosensory system: NC 2, LC 2, PO 2, PR 2, MN O; pore po-2 found midway from the posterior eye margin to the gill slit; pore pr-1 slightly spaced apart from the posterior-lower eye margin; very small, terminal mouth; incisor-type teeth on jaws, in one row; double sucking disc, surface almost smooth, no zones bearing papillas; length 5.0-5.6 times in SL; dorsal and anal fins are connected with the caudal fin; vent equidistant from the posterior disc margin and origin of the anal fin; 5 light-colored longitudinal stripes (dorsal and 2 pairs of lateral) on the body; vertebrae 31 (Ref. 75705).

Dorsal soft rays (total): 11 - 12; Analsoft rays: 10; Vertebrae: 31

Collected from corals (Millepora) at 1 m depth, its association with the coral is unknown. The specimens were collected together with Gymnothorax buroensis (juvenile individual), Pseudogramma polyacantha, Gobiodon sp., Balistapus undulatus, Enchelyurus kraussi, and 3 unidentified blennies (Ref. 75705).