Allen’s Sole

This species is distinguished by the following characters: D 65-73; A 50-53; pelvic rays 4; lateral-line scales 82-93; lateral line on ocular side of head with a ventral branch of 4-6 pores, remaining horizontal anterior part with 5-7 pores; vertebrae 37-39; dorsal pterygiophores anterior to fourth neural spine 8-9; body depth 2.7-3.0 in SL; no caudal peduncle; head length 4.35-4.65 in SL; small eyes, eye diameter 7.2-8.4 in HL; interorbital width 8.1-9.8 in HL; longest dorsal ray 1.75-1.95 in HL; caudal-fin length 4.0-4.25 in SL; pelvic fins and genital papilla not joined, their origins adjacent; short pelvic fins, reaching little beyond base of first anal ray, 2.8-3.2 in HL; alcohol-preserved colour of ocular side grey-brown with scattered dark brown spots smaller than eye (most of about pupil size) and 3 longitudinal rows of larger dark brown blotches; pale dorsal and anal fin rays with membranes dark brown (except anteriorly, where pale); caudal fin with pale rays and brown membranes with darker brown spots or longitudinal streaks; caudal-fin base with dark brown bar or row of dark spots (Ref. 84817).

Dorsal soft rays (total): 65 - 73; Analsoft rays: 50 - 53; Vertebrae: 37 - 39

Specimens collected from a small turbid creek with a salinity of 10 ppt, about 19 km upstream from Bintuni Bay. The area receives semidiurnal tides averaging about 3.5 m and the mangrove-nipa zone of this creek is thus subjected to large fluctuations in salinity and turbidity (Ref. 84817).