COMMENTS
v. 3.0 – 13 Sept. 2024 view/download PDF
Family PSEUDOCHROMIDAE Dottybacks
25 genera/subgenera · 155 species
Subfamily PSEUDOCHROMINAE
Cypho Myers 1940 a hunchback, a misnomer since Myers based his name on a misidentified specimen of Pseudochromis fuscus, which has a relatively highly arched dorsal profile, whereas C. purpurascens (type species) has a weakly arched dorsal profile
Cypho purpurascens (De Vis 1884) purplish or purple-tinged, presumably referring “purplish brown” color in alcohol
Cypho zaps Gill 2004 Greek for storm; almost all of the type specimens were collected in the Batanes Islands of the Philippines (1987), where the Smithsonian Institution team responsible for these collections were stranded on Y’ami (also known as Mavulis) Island for several days during a storm
Labracinus Schlegel 1858 etymology not explained, probably labrus, wrasse; -icus, pertaining to, i.e., wrasse-like, presumably referring to similarity to certain fishes of the family Labridae
Labracinus atrofasciatus (Herre 1933) atro-, black; fasciatus, banded, presumably referring to dark bands and lines on body and dorsal fin
Labracinus cyclophthalmus (Müller & Troschel 1849) cyclos, circle; ophthalmus, eye, presumably referring to dark curved marking around midposterior rim of orbit
Labracinus lineatus (Castelnau 1875) lined, referring to dark longitudinal stripes on body
Labracinus ocelliferus (Fowler 1946) ocellus, eyespot; fero, to bear, referring to 4-6 longitudinal series of small, dark-gray ocelli (evidently blue in life) on dorsal fin
Manonichthys Gill 2004 manon, a kind of sponge, referring to sponge-dwelling behavior of included species; ichthys, fish
Manonichthys alleni Gill 2004 in honor of ichthyologist Gerald R. Allen (b. 1942), Western Australia Museum (Perth), who collected type and provided photographs, for his contributions to Indo-Pacific ichthyology, and for the encouragement he gave Gill during his revision of this subfamily and other studies
Manonichthys jamali Allen & Erdmann 2007 in honor of Jamal, an “enthusiastic and hard-working young crew member of the diving vessel M.V. Citra Pelangi, who died as the result of a tragic shipboard accident” during the authors’ 2006 exploratory survey of the Fak Fak-Kaimana region of Irian Jaya Barat Province (western New Guinea), Indonesia, where this species occurs
Manonichthys paranox (Lubbock & Goldman 1976) para-, near, referring to its mimetic relationship with Centropyge nox (Acanthuriformes: Pomacanthidae)
Manonichthys polynemus (Fowler 1931) poly, many; nema, thread, referring to elongate tips of caudal, pelvic, anal and dorsal fins
Manonichthys scintilla Gill & Williams 2011 spark, glimmer or trace, referring to small amount of red coloration in the pelvic fins (compared to congeners with red pelvic-fin markings)
Manonichthys splendens (Fowler 1931) bright, shining or splendid, referring to its coloration (blue body covered with white to light-yellow spotting, yellow tail, and yellow mark between eyes)
Manonichthys winterbottomi Gill 2004 in honor of Richard Winterbottom (b. 1944), Royal Ontario Museum, who helped collect type, for his “considerable” contribution to the systematics of Indo-Pacific fishes (particularly congrogadine pseudochromids), and for the encouragement he gave Gill during his revision of this subfamily and other studies
Ogilbyina Fowler 1931 –ina, belonging to: the late James Douglas Ogilby (1853-1925), the “distinguished zoologist” of the Queensland Museum
Ogilbyina novaehollandiae (Steindachner 1879) of New Holland, historic name for Australia, where it is endemic
Ogilbyina queenslandiae (Saville-Kent 1893) of Queensland, Australia, type locality
Ogilbyina salvati (Plessis & Fourmanoir 1966) in honor of the authors’ friend, coral-reef biologist Bernard Salvat, who was about to take over the authors’ work in New Caledonia (type locality) when this dottyback was collected
Oxycercichthys Gill 2004 oxys, sharp and kerkos, tail, referring to elongate middle rays of caudal fin in non-juveniles; ichthys, fish
Oxycercichthys veliferus (Lubbock 1980) velum, sail; fero, to bear, referring to relatively large dorsal and caudal fins
Pholidochromis Gill 2004 pholis, scale or spot, referring to distinctive dark spots surrounding head pores; chromis, common suffix in the family, from Pseudochromis, type genus
Pholidochromis cerasina Gill & Tanaka 2004 of a cherry, referring to “cherry-like bright orange to red” spots on body and median fins
Pholidochromis marginata (Lubbock 1980) margined or bordered, referring to dark submarginal stripes on caudal, dorsal and anal fins
Pictichromis Gill 2004 pictus, painted or colored, referring to bright coloration in life; chromis, common suffix in the family, from Pseudochromis, type genus
Pictichromis aurifrons (Lubbock 1980) aureus, golden; frons, brow, referring to bright yellow coloration on lips, snout and dorsal contour of head
Pictichromis caitlinae Allen, Gill & Erdmann 2008 in honor of Caitlin Elizabeth Samuel (b. 1993), a “young Canadian leader” on the occasion of her 16th birthday; named at the request of her mother, Kim Samuel Johnson, who successfully bid to conserve this species at the Blue Auction, a black-tie charity auction in Monaco (20 Sept. 2007) in support of Conservation International’s Bird’s Head Seascape marine conservation initiative
Pictichromis coralensis Gill 2004 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Coral Sea, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, only known area of occurrence
Pictichromis diadema (Lubbock & Randall 1978) a cloth headband, referring to magenta area on dorsal contour of head and body
Pictichromis dinar Randall & Schultz 2009 named after CV. Dinar, an exporting company of live fishes, corals, and other marine life from Indonesia, for the specimens they provided; name requested by Kenn Hyltoft of that company, who discovered this species
Pictichromis ephippiata (Gill, Pyle & Earle 1996) saddled, referring to distinctive bright yellow, saddle-like marking on posterior part of body
Pictichromis paccagnellae (Axelrod 1973) in honor of the Paccagnella family, Bologna, Italy, aquarium fish wholesalers who provided holotype [paccagnellorum is the preferred spelling since name honors more than one person, but ICZN 32.5.1 forbids such a correction]
Pictichromis porphyrea (Lubbock & Goldman 1974) purple, referring to its coloration in life
Pseudochromis Rüppell 1835 pseudo-, false, reflecting Rüppell’s belief that this genus is closely related to Chromis (Pomacentridae)
Pseudochromis aldabraensis Bauchot-Boutin 1958 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Aldabra Island, western Indian Ocean, type locality
Pseudochromis alticaudex Gill 2004 altus, high; caudex, stem or trunk, referring to relatively high circumpeduncular scale count compared to similar species
Pseudochromis ammeri Gill, Allen & Erdmann 2012 in honor of Max Ammer (b. 1961), Papua Diving Resorts, “the pioneer of diving” in the Raja Ampat Islands, who invited the second author to lead the marine rapid assessment of the area that provided the first detailed observations of this species; “For the past decade Max has continued to support the second and third authors’ biodiversity research in the region and has been a close friend and eager compatriot in exploring Raja Ampat and the Bird’s Head region”
Pseudochromis andamanensis Lubbock 1980 –ensis, suffix denoting place: eastern Andaman Sea, eastern Indian Ocean, type locality
Pseudochromis aureolineatus Gill 2004 aurum, gold; lineatus, lined, referring to distinctive yellow stripe on head and body
Pseudochromis aurulentus Gill & Randall 1998 ornamented with gold, referring to bright golden-orange coloration of head and anterior part of body
Pseudochromis bitaeniatus (Fowler 1931) bi-, two; taeniatus, banded, referring to dark streak on upper and lower surfaces of body, both extending to caudal fin
Pseudochromis caudalis Boulenger 1898 of the tail, presumably referring to two broad black horizontal streaks on the caudal fin, one on the upper edge and one on the lower
Pseudochromis chrysospilus Gill & Zajonz 2011 chrysos, gold; spilos, spot, referring to distinctive gold spots on body
Pseudochromis coccinicauda (Tickell 1888) coccineus, berry red; cauda, tail, referring to yellowish-brown to bright-red caudal fin of females
Pseudochromis colei Herre 1933 in honor of Howard I. Cole (1892-1966), Chief Chemist for the Philippine Health Service at the leper colony on Culion Island, Philippines (type locality), whose “enthusiastic cooperation and generous aid alone made possible [Herre’s] large and interesting collection” of fishes from that island
Pseudochromis cometes Gill & Randall 1998 comet, referring to its live coloration, the bright orange-red head representing the comet, and the black stripe its tail
Pseudochromis cyanotaenia Bleeker 1857 cyano-, blue; taenia, ribbon or band, referring to oblique blue bars on posterior sides of males
Pseudochromis dilectus Lubbock 1976 esteemed, referring to beautiful coloration of yellow-headed form
Pseudochromis dixurus Lubbock 1975 dixos, double or forked; oura, tail, referring to its deeply forked, lunate caudal fin
Pseudochromis dutoiti Smith 1955 in honor of veterinary scientist Petrus Johann du Toit (1888-1967), former president of the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, which provided financial assistance to Smith
Pseudochromis eichleri Gill, Allen & Erdmann 2012 in honor of underwater photographer Dieter Eichler, the first to photograph this species
Pseudochromis elongatus Lubbock 1980 elongate, referring to its relatively slender body
Pseudochromis erdmanni Gill & Allen 2011 in honor of marine biologist Mark V. Erdmann (b. 1968), Conservation International (Indonesia), who collected type and has worked closely with the second author for the past six years, responsible for numerous new discoveries (including several new pseudochromids) resulting from his deep scuba collections from the East Indian region
Pseudochromis flammicauda Lubbock & Goldman 1976 flammeus, fiery red; cauda, tail, referring to bright-red caudal fin of males
Pseudochromis flavivertex Rüppell 1835 flavus, yellow; vertex, top, referring to bright-yellow coloration of dorsal surface
Pseudochromis flavopunctatus Gill & Randall 1998 flavus, yellow; punctatus, spotted, referring to large pale- to bright-yellow spot on scales of body in life
Pseudochromis fowleri Herre 1934 in honor of Henry Weed Fowler (1878-1965), Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, “indefatigable student and author of very important works on Philippine fishes”
Pseudochromis fridmani Klausewitz 1968 in honor of reef biologist David Fridman, Maritime Museum (Eilat, Israel), who collected type
Pseudochromis fuligifinis Gill & Williams 2011 fuligo, soot; finis, end, referring to sooty appearance of distal ends of caudal-fin rays
Pseudochromis fuscus Müller & Troschel 1849 dark or dusky, referring to its uniform brown coloration
Pseudochromis howsoni Allen 1995 in honor of Craig Howson, captain of the charter vessel True North, from which type was collected, and owner of North Star Charters (Broone, Western Australia)
Pseudochromis jace Allen, Gill & Erdmann 2008 composed of the first letter of Jonathan, Alex, Charlie, and Emily, the children of Lisa and Michael Anderson, who successfully bid to conserve this species at the Blue Auction, a black-tie charity auction in Monaco (20 Sept. 2007) in support of Conservation International’s Bird’s Head Seascape marine conservation initiative
Pseudochromis jamesi Schultz 1943 in honor of Schultz’ 12-year-old son, James, “who is interested in natural history”
Pseudochromis kolythrus Gill & Winterbottom 1993 a ripe fig, referring to its live coloration, olive-gray head and anterior 4⁄5 of body, rest of body bright purple, with the purple representing the split skin of a rip fig exposing its interior
Pseudochromis kristinae Gill 2004 in honor of Gill’s wife Kristin, for her love, encouragement and support
Pseudochromis leucorhynchus Lubbock 1977 leucos, white; rhynchus, snout, referring to pale-gray to white stripe on snout in living specimens
Pseudochromis linda Randall & Stanaland 1989 in honor of Linda J. McCarthy (b. 1952), who first determined that this species is distinct from P. olivaceus of the Red Sea, and who collected many of the type specimens [a noun in apposition, without the matronymic “ae”]
Pseudochromis litus Gill & Randall 1998 plain or simple, referring to its relatively unadorned color pattern
Pseudochromis lugubris Gill & Allen 2004 mournful, referring to relatively somber coloration and tear-like marking beneath eye
Pseudochromis luteus Aoyagi 1943 yellow, referring to bright-yellow to bright-orange tail and ventral contour of head of living males
Pseudochromis madagascariensis Gill 2004 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Antsiranana (previously Diego Suarez), Madagascar, only known area of occurrence
Pseudochromis magnificus Lubbock 1977 splendid or eminent, referring to beautiful live coloration of males
Pseudochromis marshallensis Schultz 1953 –ensis, Marshall Islands, where type locality (Rongelap Island, Rongelap Atoll) is situated (but occurs widely in Indo-West Pacific from Viêt Nam east to Marshall Islands, north to southern Japan, south to Indonesia, Australia and New Caledonia)
Pseudochromis matahari Gill, Erdmann & Allen 2009 Indonesian for sun, referring to its “sunburst-like” coloration in life
Pseudochromis melanurus Gill 2004 melas, black; oura, tail, referring to dark-gray to black caudal fin in males
Pseudochromis melas Lubbock 1977 black, referring to overall dark-gray to black color of head and body in life, with black dorsal, anal and caudal fins
Pseudochromis mooii Gill 2004 in honor of “good friend and colleague” Randall D. Mooi, Curator of Zoology, Manitoba Museum (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), “who has been a constant source of encouragement throughout this study, and who has contributed significantly to our understanding of the systematics and biogeography of perciform fishes”
Pseudochromis moorei Fowler 1931 in honor of John Percy Moore (1869-1965), University of Pennsylvania, assistant curator at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (where Fowler worked) and a specialist in leeches and their biological control
Pseudochromis natalensis Regan 1916 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Natal (now called KwaZulu-Natal), South Africa, type locality
Pseudochromis nigrovittatus Boulenger 1897 nigro-, black; vittatus, striped, referring to dark body stripe extending from snout tip through eye and upper edge of operculum to midbase of caudal fin (also occurs in a non-striped form )
Pseudochromis oligochrysus Gill, Allen & Erdmann 2012 oligos, few; chrysos, gold, i.e., having little gold, referring to “scant though distinctive yellow markings” when viewed underwater (yellow markings around eye are particularly obvious and distinctive, as are its bright yellow pelvic fins)
Pseudochromis olivaceus Rüppell 1835 olive-colored, referring to dark-olive to dark-gray head and body
Pseudochromis omanensis Gill & Mee 1993 –ensis, suffix denoting place: the Sultanate of Oman, type locality
Pseudochromis persicus Murray 1887 Persian, referring to Persian Gulf, type locality
Pseudochromis perspicillatus Günther 1862 lens or spectacles, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to small lens-shaped spot on nape and/or dark stripe on head (representing the arm of the spectacles)
Pseudochromis pesi Lubbock 1975 in honor of Peter F. D’o. Etherington-Smith (P.E.S.), who helped Lubbock collect type and other pseudochromids
Pseudochromis pictus Gill & Randall 1998 painted, referring to its striking coloration in life
Pseudochromis punctatus Kotthaus 1970 spotted, referring to small black dots on dorsal and anal fins
Pseudochromis pylei Randall & McCosker 1989 in honor of Robert M. Pyle, for helping Randall collect and photograph fishes, including an underwater photograph of this species (Pyle is a travel agent, no relation to ichthyologist Richard L. Pyle, also mentioned in description; John E. Randall, pers. comm.)
Pseudochromis quinquedentatus McCulloch 1926 quinque, five; dentatus, toothed, referring to five large serrations on opercle
Pseudochromis ransonneti Steindachner 1870 in honor of Eugen von Ransonnet-Villez (1838-1926), Austrian diplomat, painter, lithographer, biologist and explorer, who sent a collection of fishes from Singapore, including type of this one
Pseudochromis reticulatus Gill & Woodland 1992 netted or net-like, referring to pattern of dark markings on dorsum
Pseudochromis rutilus Gill, Allen & Erdmann 2012 reddish gold, referring to purplish red and yellow-to-gold coloration in life
Pseudochromis sankeyi Lubbock 1975 in honor of Richard D. Sankey, marine-fish collector and wholesaler (Tropical Marine Center, UK), who provided specimens for Lubbock’s study and “much useful advice” on aquarium maintenance
Pseudochromis socotraensis Gill & Zajonz 2011 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Socotra Archipelago, Indian Ocean, only known area of occurrence
Pseudochromis springeri Lubbock 1975 in honor of Victor G. Springer (b. 1928), U.S. National Museum, who “kindly” provided many specimens for Lubbock’s study and helped in the preparation of the manuscript
Pseudochromis steenei Gill & Randall 1992 in honor of Australian naturalist and underwater photographer Roger C. Steene (b. 1942), who helped collect type
Pseudochromis stellatus Gill, Allen & Erdmann 2017 starry or starred, referring to yellow spots on upper part of body (name was selected by high school students as part of a science activity at the Macleay Museum, Sydney, Australia)
Pseudochromis striatus Gill, Shao & Chen 1995 furrowed or grooved, referring to five or six (posteriorly) to nine (anteriorly) dark gray stripes on sides
Pseudochromis tapeinosoma Bleeker 1853 tapeinos, lowly; soma, body, presumably referring to slimmer body compared to its presumed closest relative, P. fuscus
Pseudochromis tauberae Lubbock 1977 in honor of Ruth Tauber (no other information available), who was helpful during Lubbock’s visits to Kenya (type locality)
Pseudochromis tigrinus Allen & Erdmann 2012 like a tiger, referring to barred color pattern of males
Pseudochromis tonozukai Gill & Allen 2004 in honor of underwater photographer Takamasa Tonozuka, who discovered this species and brought it to the attention of the second author
Pseudochromis viridis Gill & Allen 1996 green, referring to olive coloration of males
Pseudochromis wilsoni (Whitley 1929) in honor of Leonard Wilson (Darwin, Australia), who collected animals for the Australian Museum (Sydney), including fishes
Pseudochromis yamasakii Gill & Senou 2016 in honor of Kimihiro Yamasaki, professional diver and “excellent” underwater photographer, who collected type and provided photographs
Subfamily PSEUDOPLESIOPINAE
Amsichthys Gill & Edwards 1999 AMS, institutional code in ichthyology for the Australian Museum (Sydney), for the “generous help, encouragement and friendship given by staff of the Australian Museum’s Ichthyology Section to the first author during this study and throughout his career and training”; ichthys, fish
Amsichthys knighti (Allen 1987) in honor of Ronald Knight, Sr. (Manus, Papua New Guinea), for his “generous” hospitality during a collecting visit to the island in 1982
Chlidichthys Smith 1953 etymology not explained, possibly chlidanos, delicate, referring to how Smith (1954) found dottybacks “most troublesome to preserve, in that they rapidly undergo decomposition. In the stress of field work it is a problem to make accurate records of their colour-patterns, and the fins are so fragile that few perfect specimens of the smaller species can be preserved”; ichthys, fish
Chlidichthys abruptus Lubbock 1977 named for its abruptly demarcated orange snout
Chlidichthys auratus Lubbock 1975 golden, referring to golden-yellow to orange coloration of head and body
Chlidichthys bibulus (Smith 1954) fond of drink, referring to its “bibulous appearance” (Smith, 1968), i.e., red snout and eyes
Chlidichthys cacatuoides Gill & Randall 1994 –oides, having the form of: Cacatua, Australian genus of crested parrots (cockatoos), referring to its crest-like or elongate anterior dorsal-fin rays
Chlidichthys chagosensis Gill & Edwards 2004 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Chagos Archipelago, only known area of occurrence
Chlidichthys clibanarius Gill & Edwards 2004 Latin for a soldier clad in mail, referring to dark scale edging, which gives body an armor-like appearance
Chlidichthys foudioides Gill & Edwards 2004 –oides, having the form of: Foudias, the predominantly red- or yellow-headed Mascarene weaver bird genus, found throughout the western Indian Ocean islands (including Rodrigues, type locality), referring to red markings on head
Chlidichthys inornatus Lubbock 1976 undecorated, referring to its “relative drab” coloration
Chlidichthys johnvoelckeri Smith 1953 per Smith (1954), in honor of John Voelcker (1898-1968), Johannesburg, South Africa, who “greatly assisted” Smith’s work (Voelcker was a prominent amateur ornithologist)
Chlidichthys pembae Smith 1954 of Pemba Island, Tanzania, type locality
Chlidichthys randalli Lubbock 1977 in honor of John E. Randall (1924-2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), who provided specimens for this and other studies conducted by Lubbock
Chlidichthys rubiceps Lubbock 1975 ruber, red; ceps, head, referring to reddish-brown head (and anterior body) of living specimens
Chlidichthys smithae Lubbock 1977 in honor of Margaret Mary Smith (1916-1987), first director of the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology (now the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity), who helped collect type and aided Lubbock with his studies of western Indian Ocean pseudochromids
Lubbockichthys Gill & Edwards 1999 named for the late Hugh Roger Lubbock (1951-1981), for his contributions to the systematics of pseudochromid fishes (Lubbock died in a car crash in Rio de Janeiro just shy of his 30th birthday); ichthys, fish
Lubbockichthys multisquamatus (Allen 1987) multi-, many; squamatus, scaled, referring to its high (usually more than 60) number of scales in a horizontal series compared to congeners
Lubbockichthys myersi Gill & Edwards 2006 in honor of Robert F. Myers (b. 1953), coral-reef biologist and underwater photographer, who collected type and made it available for study, for “important” contributions to our understanding of Micronesian fishes
Lubbockichthys tanakai Gill & Senou 2002 in honor of colleague and friend Hiroyuki Tanaka, physician and aquarist, who first drew the authors’ attention to this species and kindly provided color slides and a paratype
Pectinochromis Gill & Edwards 1999 pecten, comb or rake, referring to relatively high number of gill rakers; chromis, common suffix in the family, derived from Pseudochromis, type genus
Pectinochromis lubbocki (Edwards & Randall 1983) in honor of Hugh Roger Lubbock (1951-1981), for his major contribution to pseudoplesiopine taxonomy (Lubbock died in a car crash in Rio de Janeiro just shy of his 30th birthday)
Pseudoplesiops Bleeker 1858 pseudo-, false, i.e., although type species, P. typus, may resemble Plesiops (Plesiopidae), such an appearance is false
Pseudoplesiops annae (Weber 1913) matronym not identified, probably in honor of Weber’s wife Anne (“Anna”) Antoinette van Bosse (1852-1942), a botanist specializing in marine algae, who accompanied him during his travels, including Siboga expedition during which type was collected
Pseudoplesiops collare Gill, Randall & Edwards 1991 collar, referring to oblique bars on head and anterior portion of body
Pseudoplesiops howensis Allen 1987 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Lord Howe Island, Australia, type locality
Pseudoplesiops immaculatus Gill & Edwards 2002 im-, not; maculatus, spotted, referring to its immaculate operculum, without a large dark spot (the sole character distinguishing it from congeners except P. wassi)
Pseudoplesiops occidentalis Gill & Edwards 2002 western, the western-most species in the genus
Pseudoplesiops revellei Schultz 1953 in honor of Commander Roger Revelle (1909-1991), U.S. Naval Reserve, who was in charge of oceanographic studies during Operation Crossroads (postwar atomic test) and the Bikini Scientific Resurvey (Revelle later became one of the first scientists [in 1956] to study and raise concerns about global warming)
Pseudoplesiops rosae Schultz 1943 of Rose Island, American Samoa, type locality (but widely distributed along coral reefs of the eastern Indian and western Pacific oceans)
Pseudoplesiops typus Bleeker 1858 serving as type of genus
Pseudoplesiops wassi Gill & Edwards 2003 in honor of Richard C. Wass (b. 1942), Fishery Biologist, American Samoa Government, who first reported on this species, for his “important” contribution to our knowledge of South-West Pacific fishes
Subfamily ANISOCHROMINAE Annies
Anisochromis Smith 1954 anisos, unequal, presumably referring to color differences between males and females of A. kenyae, so “strikingly different that it was only after close study of a number of specimens that it could be established that they were the same species”; chromis, common suffix in the family, from Pseudochromis, type genus
Anisochromis kenyae Smith 1954 of Malindi, Kenya, western Indian Ocean, type locality
Anisochromis mascarenensis Gill & Fricke 2001 –ensis, suffix denoting place: western Mascarenes, southwestern Indian Ocean, where it is endemic
Anisochromis straussi Springer, Smith & Fraser 1977 in honor of Lewis H. Strauss (Washington, D.C.), who conceived, organized, produced, funded, and participated in the 1976 expedition to St. Brandon’s Shoals (Indian Ocean), which “netted a scientifically, highly valuable collection of fishes and other marine organisms,” including type of this species
Subfamily CONGROGADINAE Eel-blennies or Snakelets
Blennodesmus Günther 1872 blennos, mucous; desmus, bond or ligament, referring to “rudimentary scales being imbedded in the mucous intugements of the body” (although this genus was once placed in the Blennidae, blenno– does not mean blenny)
Blennodesmus scapularis Günther 1872 scapular, referring to black yellow-edged ocellus in the scapulary region
Congrogadus Günther 1862 conger, Latin for a marine eel, referring to eel-like shape; gadus, a cod or gadiform fish, presumably referring to presumed relationship with gadiform fishes
Subgenus Congrogadus
Congrogadus amplimaculatus (Winterbottom 1980) amplus, large; maculatus, spotted, referring to high number of large, pale spots on body
Congrogadus hierichthys Jordan & Richardson 1908 name based on Hierichthys Jordan & Fowler 1902 (a junior synonym of Congrogadus): hiero, temple, Greek cognate of Miyako, Japan, the “Temple Island,” type locality of Hierichthys encryptes (=C. subducens); ichthys, fish
Congrogadus malayanus (Weber 1909) –anus, belonging to: Malaya, presumably referring to its type locality (Arafura Sea, Indonesia) in the Malay Archipelago (also occurs in Torres Strait, Australia)
Congrogadus spinifer (Borodin 1933) spina, thorn; fero, to bear, referring to single separated spine in front of dorsal fin
Congrogadus subducens (Richardson 1843) withdrawn, i.e., lurking or hidden, perhaps referring to the common name Richardson assigned it, “Lurking Machete” (the latter part of that name referring to its shape, similar to a butcher’s knife)
Subgenus Pilbaraichthys Gill, Mooi & Hutchins 2000 Pilbara, referring to distribution along south-western portion of Pilbara district, Western Australia; ichthys, fish
Congrogadus winterbottomi Gill, Mooi & Hutchins 2000 in honor of colleague and friend Richard Winterbottom (b. 1944), Royal Ontario Museum, for his “important” contributions to the systematics and biogeography of congrogadines and other fishes, and for the support and encouragement he has given the authors
Halidesmus Günther 1872 etymology not explained, presumably halos, salt, but in this case possibly referring to resemblance with Haliophis; desmus, bond or ligament, perhaps referring to resemblance with Blennodesmus (described in same publication but placed in a different family)
Halidesmus coccus Winterbottom & Randall 1994 rooster or cockscomb, referring to median fleshy crest on head between tip of snout and posterior interorbital region
Halidesmus polytretus Winterbottom 1982 poly, many; tretos, perforated, i.e., full of holes, referring to larger number of sensory canal pores on head and body compared to H. thomaseni (“Irreverent interpretations of the meaning of the name are explicitly excluded.”)
Halidesmus scapularis Günther 1872 scapular, referring to ovate deep-black spot in the scapulary region
Halidesmus socotraensis Gill & Zajonz 2003 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Socotra Archipelago, western Indian Ocean, only known area of occurrence
Halidesmus thomaseni (Nielsen 1961) in honor of H. B. Thomasen, who collected type in Karachi, Pakistan, while collecting live fishes for the Danmarks Akvarium (Charlottenlund); fishes that did not survive were donated to the Zoological Museum (Copenhagen)
Halimuraena Smith 1952 etymology not explained, presumably halos, salt, but in this case possibly referring to resemblance and/or relationship with Haliophis; muraena, Latin for moray eel, but probably used here as term for eels in general, referring to eel-like shape of H. hexagonata
Halimuraena hexagonata Smith 1952 hexagonal, referring to large, dark “subhexagonal” blotches, almost forming a honeycomb pattern on body
Halimuraena lepopareia Winterbottom 1980 lepos, scale; pareia, cheek, only member of genus with scales on cheeks
Halimuraena shakai Winterbottom 1978 in honor of the Zulu king Shaka (ca-1787-1828, reflecting its South African type locality), who “raised his people from a small tribe to a powerful nation”; the hastate body of this species is a “perhaps fanciful reminder of the short stabbing spear or ‘iKlwa’ which Shaka developed and used with such devastating effect”
Halimuraenoides Maugé & Bardach 1985 –oides, having the form of: referring to its similar coloration as Halimuraena
Halimuraenoides isostigma Maugé & Bardach 1985 iso-, equal; stigma, mark, allusion not explained; species has spots of varying sizes across body, but distinctive scapular eyespot is same size as eye
Haliophis Rüppell 1829 halos, sea, referring to marine habitat; ophis, snake, presumably referring to its compressed, elongate shape, i.e., like a sea snake
Haliophis aethiopus Winterbottom 1985 aethiops, sunburnt, referring to its plain brown or tan body color
Haliophis diademus Winterbottom & Randall 1994 diadem, a cloth headband, referring to dark stripe through eye and passing posteriorly on head; and Diadema, generic name of sea urchin among whose spines this species was first observed and photographed
Haliophis guttatus (Forsskål 1775) spotted, referring to several irregular series of black spots on body (and possibly also irregular black bars and spots on head)
Natalichthys Winterbottom 1980 Natal, South Africa, province off which all specimens were collected; ichthys, fish
Natalichthys leptus Winterbottom 1980 leptos, scale, only member of genus with scaled cheeks
Natalichthys ori Winterbottom 1980 ORI, acronym for the Oceanographic Research Institute (Durban, South Africa), whose directors (D. H. Davies and A. E. F. Heydorn) and staff have contributed “greatly” to the knowledge of South Africa’s coastal marine fauna
Natalichthys sam Winterbottom 1980 SAM, acronym for the South African Museum (Cape Town), whose ichthyologists (P. A. Hulley and E. Louw) have always been “most co-operative and good company”
Rusichthys Winterbottom 1979 RUSI, acronym for Rhodes University, Smith Institute, for the “tremendous” contributions to ichthyology made by the late J.L.B. Smith, his wife Margaret Mary Smith, and staff and students; ichthys, fish
Rusichthys explicitus Winterbottom 1996 apparent, referring to how osteological data for this species fills in missing osteological data for the genus (in a previous study, the specimen of R. plesiomorphus used for osteological examination partially disentegrated during preparation)
Rusichthys plesiomorphus Winterbottom 1979 a plesiomorph (plesio, primitive; morphus, shape), i.e., a primitive or relatively primitive organism, referring to its presumed generalized meristic and morphometric values for a congrogadine
Subfamily ASSICULINAE
Assiculus Richardson 1846 diminutive of assis, plank or board, “as thin in the body as a lath [thin flat strip of wood], whence the generic name”
Assiculus punctatus Richardson 1846 spotted, referring to pattern of small blue spots on vertical fins, head and anterior part of body
Subfamily ASSICULOIDINAE
Assiculoides Gill & Hutchins 1997 –oides, having the form of: referring to similarity to Assiculus
Assiculoides desmonotus Gill & Hutchins 1997 desmos, bond; notos, back, referring to membranous connection between posterior part of dorsal fin and dorsal part of caudal fin