Common names:

* proposed name

Synonyms:

Etymology:
'Oxuderces' comes from the Greek 'oxuderkês' (quick-sighted), which probably refers to the quick burying behaviour, elicited by visual stimuli

'dentatus' means 'toothed' in Latin, which refers to the large canines of the upper jaw

Maximum recorded length:
93 mm SL (Murdy, 1989)
100 mm TL (Rainboth, 1996)

Live colouration (Murdy, 1989; pers. obs.: Peninsular Malaysia):
ground colour dorsally greyish blue to pale brown, ventrally whitish to dusky; 6 dusky and irregular saddle-like bars and a series of dark blotches along lateral midline may be visible; many tiny brown speckles may be visible on dorsum; D1 translucent; D2 transparent except for a faint dusky medial stripe and a large black ocellus near distal tips of last 4 rays; caudal fin transparent to dusky; anal, pectoral and pelvic fins translucent, with an orange tint in some specimens; a large dusky blotch is present on upper base of pectoral fins; posterior portion of upper jaw and tips of anterior nostrils blackened

Colouration on preservation (Murdy, 1989; pers. obs.):
ground colour pale brown to slate grey; dusky spots, bars and blotches may be retained in recently preserved specimens; tips of anterior nostrils and posterior portion of upper jaw blackened; all fins transparent except for the dusky ocellus at the posterior portion of D2

Diagnosis (Murdy, 1989):
total D2 elements 24-27; total anal fin elements 24-26; D2 and anal fins unattached to caudal fin; 15 branched caudal fin rays; predorsal scales 22 or fewer, often lacking; no canine teeth internal to symphysis of lower jaw; no bifid teeth; pore in middle of interorbital region; basihyal spatulate.
The genus is characterised by a fang-like, canine tooth on each side of premaxillary symphysis, in having the anterior ceratohyal lengthened posterior to the insertion of the 4th branchiostegal (see drawing), and by its anteriorly depressed head

Diet:
no published study is available

Reproduction:
no published study is available

Ecological notes (pers. obs.: Peninsular Malaysia):
locally abundant on lower mudflats, moving in areas of mud covered by a thin film of water; larger individuals (>7-8 cm) can be caught by trawl nets on lower mud flats at high tide (Murdy, 1989; pers. obs.)

left: Tanjung Piai, Peninsular Malaysia: lower mudflat at low tide; young Ox. dentatus were here abundant

right: Kukup Is., Peninsular Malaysia: a shot of the mangrove forest and of the adjacent tidal flat at low tide; here also subadults were found

(photo: G. Polgar, 2006; 2007)

Distribution:
from Indian coasts to the Southern China Sea; type locality: Macao (Murdy, 1989)

Photographs of Oxuderces dentatus:

A, B: close-ups of Ox. dentatus in aquarium (photo: T. Mukai, 2006)*; C: freshly dead specimen (photo: E.O. Murdy, Muar, Peninsular Malaysia, 1985); D: another close-up of two Ox. dentatus specimens in aquarium (photo: G. Polgar; fish collected in Tg. Piai, Peninsular Malaysia, 2006); E: in aquarium, out of water (photo: G. Polgar, fish collected in Kukup Is., Peninsular Malaysia, 2007); F: an underwater shot of the specimen in E (photo: G. Polgar, 2007); G: another close-up of the same individual (photo: G. Polgar, 2007) - * with permission from the author

Drawings of Oxuderces dentatus:

above, left: from Herre, 1927 (fishbase); above, right: cephalic sensory and nasal pores of Oxuderces spp.: an= anterior nostril; ao= anterior oculoscapular canal pore; f= fangs; pio= posterior interorbital pore; pn= posterior nostril (modified from Murdy, 1989)*; below: lateral view of the hyoid arch of Ox. dentatus, rotated about 45° clockwise; the portion of the anterior ceratohyal that is not present in other oxudercine genera is coloured in red: Ch= ceratohyal; an= anterior ceratohyal; po= posterior ceratohyal; 1-5= branchiostegals (modified from Murdy, 1989)* - * with permission