For the lateral scale count the "standard" procedure new is to count the lateral line scales following the lateral line to the beginning of the tail bone plates, which can be located by bending the tail fin slightly so that the "pit" of the joint is noticed near the tail fin base. Unfortunately this standard procedure is relatively recent [after 1900], so many count in the old times are not universal and many taxonomists might have include scales behind the hypural all the way to the tail fin, which would add 1-3 or more scales to the total...