通常35cm,最大体長50cm(Bellisio, López and Torno, 1979)。日本,ニュージーランド,オーストラリアに分布するカガミダイZ. nobulosusとは体側の骨板数などで明らかに異なる。
(稲田伊史)
Material examined:
3 from Argentina (309-404 mm SL), FSFL EL 988; EM 362, 525.
Description:
D ]V, 26; A V, 24-25; P1 12-13; P2 T, 5; GR 3-4+10-12=13-16.
HL 33.4-34.8% of SL; ED 5.4-6.3; BD 51.0-52.7; SN 15.9-16.2, IO 5.9-6.1; UJ 15.4-15.7; CP 4.8-4.9; P1L 12.6-15.0: P2L 21.7-24.3; PreD 33.1-34.3; PreA 61.8-63.6; Longest Dray L 32.4-38.0.
Body oval, greatly compressed. Tips of dorsal spines filamentous; third spine longest. Pectoral fin short and fan-shaped. Pelvic fin long, not reaching anus in adults. Caudal fin margin slightly concave. Eye small; interorbital area narrow and raised. Nostrils situated anterior to eye; anterior nostril oval, posterior nostril slit-like without tubercle. Mouth large and greatly oblique; premaxilla protrusible; lower jaw anterior to upper. Teeth on both jaws small, conical, biserial. Teeth on vomer, absent from palatines. No serration on margin of gill-covers. No scales on body. Five to seven large bony plates along dorsal base, 4 along anal base, each plate equiped with a small spine. Two comparatively small, bony plates between gill-opening and pelvic fin, 7 between pelvic fin origin and anal fin origin. Lateral line greatly curved anteriorly, and running straight below 6th to 10th dorsal fin ray. Gill-rakers knob-like. Upper part of body bluish silvery-grey, lower silvery. Dorsal midline of body from snout to dorsal fin origin bluish-black. Fin membranes of dorsal spine, pectoral, pelvic and caudal fins blackish.
Distribution:
From Brazil, through Uruguay, to northern Argentina in depths of 50-80 m.
Remarks:
Common to 35 cm SL, maximum size 50 cm SL (Bellisio, López and Torno, 1979)> Z. nebulosus known from Japan, New Zealand and Autralia differs from this species by the number of anal bony plates.