Updated 26 Nov. 2024
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Derichthys Gill 1884 dérē (Gr. δέρη), neck or throat; ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish, the only fish Gill knew of with a “true neck”; Goode & Bean (1896) tempered his remark, describing the eel’s “neck” as “a neck-like contraction between the head and pectoral fins …” [note: fishes do not have necks (a cervical connection between the head and trunk), although a few can turn their heads up (e.g., the characoid Rhaphiodon vulpes), or both down and sideways (Salamanderfish, Lepidogalaxias salamandroides), thus creating the impression that a neck is involved]

Derichthys serpentinus Gill 1884 Latin for snake-like, referring to its “serpentiform” head, enhanced by the contracted neck-like appearance of the anterior portion of the body

Nessorhamphus Schmidt 1931 nḗssa (Gr. νῆσσα), duck; rhámphos (Gr. ῥάμφος), beak or bill, referring to its spatulate (duck-like) snout

Nessorhamphus danae Schmidt 1931 in honor of the Danish fishery research vessel Dana, from which holotype was collected

Nessorhamphus ingolfianus (Schmidt 1912) -anus (L.), belonging to: Ingolf, Danish ship from which holotype was collected