Sensory papilla patterns of the cheek lateralis system in the gobiid fishes Acentrogobius and Glossogobius, and their significance for the classification of gobioid fishes

Abstract

The sensory papilla patterns of the cheek lateralis system are described and compared in various species of Acentrogobius and Glossogobius. Methods of studying and naming the papilla lines are discussed. Two basic patterns are recognized, a transverse pattern with several vertical papilla lines and two horizontal lines, and a longitudinal pattern with only horizontal lines. The significance of the orientation of the papillae within the lines and the development of ridges connecting the papillae in determining homologies is discussed. It is suggested that the transverse papilla pattern has developed independently in Glossogobius circumspectus and Acentrogobius viridipunctatus from structurally different longitudinal patterns.