Table 3. Meristic characters of †Lepidocottus aries (this study) and selected extant butid and eleotrid species.
| Extant Butidae | Extant Eleotridae | ||||||||||||
| †Lepidocottus aries (Agassiz) | Kribia kribensis(Boulenger) | Bostrychus africanus (Steindachner) | Bostrychus sinensis Lacepède | Butis amboinensis(Bleeker) | Ophiocara porocephala(Valenciennes) | Oxyeleotris marmorata(Bleeker) | Eleotris acanthopoma Bleeker | Eleotris fusca (Forster) | Eleotris melanosoma Bleeker | Eleotris oxycephala Temminck & Schlegel | Giuris margaritacea(Valenciennes)andOphieleotrissp. in [48] | Hypseleotris cyprinoides(Valenciennes) | |
| First dorsal fin | VI | VI (VII) | VI | VI | VI | VI | VI | VI | VI | VI | VI | VI | VI |
| Second dorsal fin | I, 9–10 | I, 7–10 | I, 9 | I, 9–10 | I, 8 | I, 8 | I, 9 | I, 8 | I, 8 | I, 8 | I, 8 | I, 8 | I, 8 |
| Anal fin | I, 9 | I, 6–9 | I, 8 | I, 9 | I, 9 | I, 7 | I, 8 | I, 8 | I, 8 | I, 8 | I, 8 | I, 9 | I, 9 |
| Pectoral fin | 16 | 14–16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 17–19 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 13 |
| Pelvic fin | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Longitudinal scales | 50 | 32–37 | 78–86 | 98 | 31 | 37 | n.a. | 51 | 65 | 56 | 50 | 31 | 28 |
| Transverse scales | 10 | 11–15 | 31–40 | 35 | 9 | 16 | n.a. | 16 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 11 | 9 |
| Predorsal scales | 25 | 0–15 | 42–58 | 58 | 28 | 26 | 60–65 | 41 | 50 | 38 | 48 | 17 | 14 |
| Type of scales (predorsal+body) | cycloid+ctenoid | cycloid+ctenoid | cycloid | cycloid | ctenoid | ctenoid | ctenoid | cycloid+ctenoid | ctenoid | ctenoid | |||
| Pterygiophore formula (first dorsal fin) | 4(22110) | 3(1221)/3(2211)/3(12210) | 3(2211) | 3(2211) | 3(2211) | 3(2211) | 3(2211) | 3(1221) | 3(12210)/4(2310) | 3(1221) | |||
| Vertebrae (abdominal+postabdominal) | 10+15–16 | 11+16/12+15 | 10+16 | 11+16 | 12+14 | 10+15–16 | 10+16–17 | 10+15–16 | 10+15–16 | 14+11 | |||
| Caudal fin (number of branched rays) | 13 | 11–13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 | |||