Five New Fish Species of the Genus Alabes (Gobiesocidae: Cheilobranchinae) Author Hutchin, Barry Author Morrison, Sue text Records of the Australian Museum 2004 2004-07-07 56 2 147 158 https://journals.australian.museum/hutchins-and-morrison-2004-rec-aust-mus-562-147158/ journal article 10.3853/j.0067-1975.56.2004.1426 2201-4349 Alabes Cloquet, 1816 Diagnosis (these characters are not repeated in the following descriptions): body elongate, eel-like, tapering to a small caudal fin; caudal fin with 4–12 fin rays, joined to dorsal and anal fins (latter two without fin-rays, resembling low folds of skin); pectoral fin absent; pelvic fin either represented by a small rudiment just posterior to gill opening, or absent; skin smooth, scaleless, usually covered with a thick mucus layer; lateral-line sensory system usually consists of small open cephalic pores and minute papillae (cephalic pores absent in one species); head small, with a short snout (rounded to pointed in dorsal view); nostrils small but obvious, anterior one tubular, posterior one with low raised rim; eye moderate in size, with prominent, clear cornea; gill opening a small to moderate-sized transverse slit, located on ventral surface of head; gills 3; branchiostegals 3; palatine and vomerine teeth absent; urogenital opening with prominent papilla.