Family Cheilodactylidae Regan

Diagnosis. Diagnosis follows that of Kimura et al. (2018) and Smith (1980) for Cheilodactylus . The family can be diagnosed by the following combination of characters: body compressed and ovoid, with small, terminal to subterminal mouth with large lips; eyes moderate size; two pairs of nostrils with cirri on the lower pair of nostrils; no bony processes on frontal bone or maxilla; teeth small, villiform in several rows, absent from vomer and palatines. Dorsal-fin elements XVII–XX, 19–25; anal-fin elements III, 9–11; pectoral-fin rays 14 with ventral 4–5 thickened and unbranched. Dorsal-fin continuous with no division between spinous and soft portions; spines increasing in length to sixth spine, and decreasing thereafter; second dorsal ray longest. Gas bladder absent; three supraneurals, with first supraneural preceding first neural spine and second and third supraneural between first and second neural spines in the arrangement of 0/0+0/2+1/1/1 (Fig. 2). Lateral-line scales 78–85; scales small and cycloid; scaly sheath present at base of dorsal and anal-fins. Cheilodactylidae can be further differentiated from Cirrhitidae by dorsal spines lacking cirri (versus present), and from both Chironemidae and Aplodactylidae by higher anal-fin ray counts and a more laterally compressed, deeper body. Cheilodactylidae can be further differentiated from Latridae by the absence of a gas bladder, by late-stage larvae lacking a ‘paperfish’ stage (Dudnik 1977), and by the arrangement of supraneurals with the first neural spine (see family diagnosis for Latridae below).