FIGURE 5 in Review of the Indian Ocean spikefish genus Mephisto (Tetraodontiformes Triacanthodidae)

FIGURE 5. Mid-body scales of Mephisto. Anterior to left. A–C Mephisto fraserbrunneri, USNM 350153, 105.8 mm SL. A. Patch of scales. White arrows indicate tips of bifurcate spinules at base of central spinules; black arrows indicate tips of central spinules. B. Single scale showing five spinules, including a central spinule with a bifurcate spinule at its base and both branched and unbranched dorsal and ventral spinules. White arrows indicate tips of single or bifurcate spinules; black arrow indicates central spinule tip. C. Illustration of single scale from M. fraserbrunneri to show relative length of spinules when viewed obliquely and for comparison with images B and D. D. Illustration of a single scale of M. albomaculosus, NSMT-P 132271, 94.4 mm SL. Illustration from Matsuura et al. (2018), reprinted with permission from the Ichthyological Society of Japan. Note, scale has been reflected so image faces left. In large specimens of both M. fraserbrunneri and M. albomaculosus the central spinule has a bifurcate branch. Apparent differences in shape of scale plates in parts C and D is because the regions of overlap are not shown in part D.