Antarctic silverfish

Dorsal spines (total): 6-8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 35-38; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 36-39; Vertebrae: 52-56. Pre-opercular-mandibular canal pores 9 (rarely 10), with 3 (rarely 4) on the mandible. Infraorbital canal with 4+2 pores; lateral line organs (neuromasts) present exposed region between the canal segments, the normal number probably being 4 (rarely 5), but some or all are often missing. Supraorbital canal with 3+1 pores (a second, more posterior pore rarely present in postero-dorsal section); between these 2 supraorbital canal segments is a trough divided by 3 low transverse ridges into 4 shallow depressions; on each ridge is a neuromasts organ. Temporal canal with 1+4 pores; between the 2 segment lies a single exposed neuromast. Supratemporal canal with 1+1 pores; no traces of neuromasts were found in the intervening regions. Color: In life, pink with a silvery hue, the dorsal surface slightly darker. All fins pale, with clear hyaline membranes. The body becomes silvery with a darker dorsum only after death (Ref. 28937).