Banda Coralblenny

Ecsenius (Ecsenius) bandanus

DESCRIPTION (holotype and only known specimen).—Dorsal spines 12; dorsal rays 14; segmented anal rays 16; pectoral rays 13; segmented caudal rays 13; dorsal procurrent caudal rays 8; ventral procurrent caudal rays 7; total caudal elements 28; gill-rakers 13; pseudobranchial filaments 6; lower incisor teeth 43; lower jaw posterior canines 1; total lower jaw posterior canines 2; precaudal vertebrae 10; caudal vertebrae 21; total vertebrae 31. Lateral line with no paired pores, extending posteriorly to below level of 9th dorsal spine. Dorsal fin notched eight-ninths length of first dorsal ray. Third (innermost) pelvic ray obvious. One cirrus on each anterior nostril.

Color pattern: Distinctive markings appear only on the head of this species, which has as its most noticeable marking a broad stripe extending posteriorly from just behind the eye across the top of the opercle. On the right side of the specimen there is faint indication of a continuation of this stripe on the body to just beyond the level of the pectoral base. There is also faint evidence anteriorly that the stripe continues dorsally following the margin of the eye and meeting in the interorbital region the stripe from the other side. There is a faint, narrow band in the anterior interorbital region connecting the two orbits, and a dark sprinkling of melanophores around the anterior nostrils. On each side of the undersurface of the head there is a dusky spot encompassing the anteriormost two pores of the mandibular series and a similar spot just medial to the fifth pore of this series. The rayed portion of the dorsal fin has a faintly dusky stripe extending the length of the fin on its basal half. The anal is dusky except for the unmarked basal half. The specimen is otherwise evenly dusky.

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