COMMENTS
v. 2.0 – 9 Feb. 2024 view/download PDF
Family PINGUIPEDIDAE Sandperches
7 genera · 101 species
Kochichthys Kamohara 1961 Kochi, referring to Kochi City, Kochi Prefecture, Japan, type locality of K. flavofasciatus; ichthys, fish [replacement name for Kochia Kamohara 1960, preoccupied by Kochia Frech 1891 in fossil bivalves]
Kochichthys flavofasciatus (Kamohara 1936) flavus, yellow; fasciatus, banded, referring to yellow longitudinal band running from snout to base of caudal fin
Parapercis Bleeker 1863 para-, near, allusion not explained, probably referring to previous placement of P. cylindrica in Percis Bloch & Schneider 1801 (preoccupied by the agonid genus Percis Scopoli 1777), a name previously used for many pinguipedid species
Parapercis albipinna Randall 2008 albus, white; pinna, fin, referring to white fins (pelvic, spinous portion of dorsal, and basal half of caudal)
Parapercis albiventer Ho, Heemstra & Imamura 2014 albus, white; venter, belly, referring to bright white immaculate color on ventral fourth of body
Parapercis alboguttata (Günther 1872) albus, white; guttata, spotted, presumably referring to a series of five small pearl-colored spots on each side of back along base of dorsal fin
Parapercis algrahami Johnson & Worthington Wilmer 2018 in honor of Alastair (“Al”) Graham (b. 1964), collection manager at CSIRO (Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation), for his “longstanding efforts in building and maintaining Australian ichthyological collections and helpful co-operation with taxonomic research”
Parapercis allporti (Günther 1876) in honor of Morton Allport (1830-1878), English-born Australian colonial naturalist, who presented type to the British Museum
Parapercis altipinnis Ho & Heden 2017 altus, high; pinnis, fin, referring to “extremely high” first dorsal fin
Parapercis annamalai Yosuva, Ho, Jeyapragash & Saravanakuamr 2020 named for Annamalai University (Tamil Nadu, India), which supported the studies of the Indian authors (not Ho, who is from Taiwan)
Parapercis atlantica (Vaillant 1887) –ica, belonging to: Atlantic Ocean, representing what was then believed to be the first Atlantic (Cape Verde Islands) representative of the otherwise Indo-West Pacific genus Neopercis (=Parapercis)
Parapercis aurantiaca Döderlein 1884 orange-colored, presumably referring to “Golden-red” (translation) body color in life
Parapercis australis Randall 2003 southern, referring to its localities, all south of 14° south latitude
Parapercis banoni Randall & Yamakawa 2006 in honor of fisheries ecologist Rafael Bañón Diaz (b. 1961), who first reported the species (with coauthors) in 2000 and provided specimens and color photographs
Parapercis basimaculata Randall, Senou & Yoshino 2008 basi-, basal; maculata, spotted, referring to prominent dark spots basally on dorsal, anal, caudal, and pectoral fins
Parapercis bicoloripes Prokofiev 2010 bicolor, bicolored; pes, foot, referring to characteristic coloration of ventral fins, black at base and along inner margin, silvery white at apex and outer margin
Parapercis bimacula Allen & Erdmann 2012 bi-, two; macula, spot, referring to pair of small black spots in red bar below eye
Parapercis binivirgata (Waite 1904) binus, two by two; virgata, striped, presumably referring to “Upper half of head and body with 14 bars of brown color, arranged in pairs”
Parapercis binotata Allen & Erdmann 2017 bi-, two; notata, marked, referring to diagnostic dark bands on cheek and pectoral fins of males
Parapercis biordinis Allen 1976 bi-, two; ordinis, row, referring to double row of spots along sides
Parapercis caudopellucida Johnson & Motomura 2017 caudo-, caudal fin; pellucida, clear, referring to lack of distinctive markings in center of caudal fin
Parapercis clathrata Ogilby 1910 latticed, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to lattice-like pattern of elongate spots on lower side of body
Parapercis colemani Randall & Francis 1993 in honor of Neville Coleman (1938-2012), environmental photographer, explorer and conservationist, who discovered and photographed this species in 1989
Parapercis colias (Forster 1801) kolias, ancient Greek for mackerel, but in this case probably referring to “colefish,” the name (per Forster 1844) given to it by sailors during Captain Cook’s second voyage on HMS Resolution, referring to its superficial resemblance to the Pollack, Gadus carbonarius (=Pollachus virens), known as colefish, coalfish and coley in 18th-century British Isles
Parapercis compressa Randall 2008 referring to strongly compressed body relative to congeners
Parapercis cylindrica (Bloch 1792) cylindrical, proposed as a drum or croaker (Sciaenidae) with a cylindrical body shape
Parapercis decemfasciata (Franz 1910) decem, ten; fasciata, banded, referring to 10 oblique bands on sides
Parapercis diagonalis Randall 2008 named for diagonal black line on cheek
Parapercis diplospilus Gomon 1981 diplo-, double; spilos, spot, referring to two prominent spots on caudal fin
Parapercis dockinsi McCosker 1971 in honor of zoologist Donald M. Dockins (1930-1975), Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the “intrepid captor of many of the type specimens”
Parapercis dongshaensis Chen, Tsai & Hsu 2014 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Dongsha Island (also called Pratas Island), South China Sea, type locality
Parapercis filamentosa (Steindachner 1878) filamentous, referring to anterior rays of soft portion of dorsal fin, prolonged and filamentous in large adults
Parapercis flavescens Fourmanoir & Rivaton 1979 yellowish, referring to yellow vertical stripes on body and/or golden-yellow dorsal and anal fins
Parapercis flavipinna Johnson & Motomura 2017 flavus, yellow; pinna, fin, referring to predominantly yellow soft dorsal fin and bright yellow spots on anal and caudal fins
Parapercis flavolabiata Johnson 2006 flavus, yellow; labiata, lipped, referring to yellow posterior half of upper lip
Parapercis flavolineata Randall 2008 flavus, yellow; lineatus, lined, referring to midlateral yellow line on body
Parapercis fuscolineata Fourmanoir 1985 fuscus, dark; lineatus, lined, referring to characteristic brown longitudinal stripe extending from operculum to caudal-fin base
Parapercis gilliesii (Hutton 1879) in honor of R. Gillies, Esq., who collected and/or provided type from Brighton, New Zealand, possibly Robert Gillies (1835-1886), lawyer and member of New Zealand Parliament
Parapercis haackei (Steindachner 1884) in honor of Johann Wilhelm Haacke (1855-1912), German zoologist who emigrated to New Zealand and Australia, becoming director of the Adelaide Natural History Museum, who provided Steindachner with fishes from St. Vincent Gulf, South Australia, including presumably this one
Parapercis hexophtalma (Cuvier 1829) hexa-, six; ophthalma, eyed, referring to six eye-like black spots surrounded by yellow circles (ocelli), on lower body
Parapercis hoi Johnson & Motomura 2017 in honor of Hsuan-Ching Ho (b. 1978), National Dong Hwa University (Taiwan), for his contributions to the taxonomy of Parapercis
Parapercis imamurai Johnson & Worthington Wilmer 2018 in honor of Hisashi Imamura, Hokkaido University Museum (Hakodate, Japan), for his “valuable” contributions to the taxonomy of pinguipedid fishes
Parapercis johnsoni Ho 2015 in honor of Jeffrey W. Johnson, Queensland Museum (Australia), for his contribution to our knowledge of pinguipedid fishes and for providing valuable information and discussion relevant to Ho’s studies
Parapercis kamoharai Schultz 1966 in honor of ichthyologist Toshiji Kamohara (1901-1972), Kochi University, who reviewed Japanese pinguipedids in 1960
Parapercis katoi Randall, Senou & Yoshino 2008 in honor of Kenji Kato, Tokyo Metropolitan Fisheries Experiment Station, caught holotype in 1991 with hook and line and provided color photographs
Parapercis kentingensis Ho, Chang & Shao 2012 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Kenting National Park, southern Taiwan, type locality (also occurs off Japan)
Parapercis lata Randall & McCosker 2002 wide, referring to width of anterior part of the body, greater than depth for all specimens examined
Parapercis lembehensis Allen, Erdmann & Peristiwady 2024 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, type locality
Parapercis lineopunctata Randall 2003 lineo-, line; punctata, spotted, referring to dotted lines on body
Parapercis lutevittata Liao, Cheng & Shao 2011 lutea-, yellow; vittata, striped, referring to longitudinal yellow stripe on body extending from pectoral-fin base to caudal-fin base
Parapercis macrophthalma (Pietschmann 1911) macro-, large; ophthalma, eyed, referring to its “very large” (translation) eyes, obliquely pointed upward
Parapercis maculata (Bloch & Schneider 1801) spotted, referring to two longitudinal rows of six large black spots in vertical alignment on body
Parapercis maramara Sparks & Baldwin 2012 Malagasy word for spotted, referring to abundant and prominent spotting on head, flank and caudal fin
Parapercis maritzi Anderson 1992 in honor of Willie Maritz, Curator, East London Aquarium (South Africa), whose “keen eye for unusual fishes” resulted in the capture of 10 specimens during a hake reconnaissance cruise aboard a Spanish trawler off the coast of Transkei; he had the “foresight and curiosity” to save these specimens for science
Parapercis millepunctata (Günther 1860) mille, thousand; punctata, spotted, referring to “many blackish dots” on body
Parapercis moki Ho & Johnson 2013 in honor of ichthyologist Hin-Kiu Mok (b. 1947), National Sun Ye-San University (Taiwan), for his numerous contributions to fish studies and for providing holotype
Parapercis multifasciata Döderlein 1884 multi-, many; fasciata, banded, referring to 10 brown horizontal stripes running across back to upper sides of body
Parapercis multiplicata Randall 1984 multiplied, referring to duplication of series of dark spots on body and median fins
Parapercis muronis (Tanaka 1918) etymology not explained, presumably –is, genitive singular of: Muro, from Muro-toragisu, its local name at Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, type locality
Parapercis naevosa Serventy 1937 spotted, referring to 15 regularly placed brown spots on upper part of body
Parapercis natator Randall, Senou & Yoshino 2008 Latin for swimmer, referring to its habit of swimming in small aggregations above the bottom
Parapercis nebulosa (Quoy & Gaimard 1825) cloudy or dark, allusion not explained, presumably referring, per Cuvier (1829), to “two rows, each of five or six large brown and nebulous spots” (translation) on body, the row above lateral line with larger spots than the row below
Parapercis nigrodorsalis Johnson, Struthers & Worthington Wilmer 2014 nigro-, black; dorsalis, dorsal, referring to distinctive black spinous dorsal-fin membrane
Parapercis okamurai Kamohara 1960 in honor of Osama Okamura, Kyoto University (Japan), who helped collect type with fellow graduate student Kunio Amaoka
Parapercis ommatura Jordan & Snyder 1902 ommata, eyed; ouros, tail, referring to prominent ocellus or eyespot on upper basal part of caudal fin
Parapercis pacifica Imamura & Yoshino 2007 –ica, belonging to: the Pacific, specifically, the western Pacific of southern Japan, Philippines, Sulawesi, and Ceram and Timor Seas (also known from South China Sea)
Parapercis phenax Randall & Yamakawa 2006 Greek for imposter, referring to resemblance to, and previous misidentification as, P. roseoviridis
Parapercis pogonoskii Johnson & Worthington Wilmer 2018 in honor of John Pogonoski, CSIRO Marine Research (Hobart, Australia), for his contributions to Australian ichthyology and helpful cooperation with taxonomic research on CSIRO fish collections
Parapercis pulchella (Temminck & Schlegel 1843) diminutive of pulcher, beautiful, allusion not explained, possibly referring to “pretty” (translation) oblique lines on head in life and/or attractive coloration overall
Parapercis punctata (Cuvier 1829) spotted, referring to numerous black spots on dorsal surface of head and anterior portion of body
Parapercis punctulata (Cuvier 1829) diminutive of punctum, spot, i.e., dotted, referring to numerous dots or small black spots on dorsal fin and body
Parapercis queenslandica Imamura & Yoshino 2007 –ica, belonging to: Queensland, Australia, type locality (also known from New Caledonia)
Parapercis ramsayi (Steindachner 1883) patronym not identified but almost certainly in honor of zoologist Edward Pierson Ramsay (1842-1916), Curator of the Australian Museum
Parapercis randalli Ho & Shao 2010 in honor of John E. Randall (1924-2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), for his “great contributions to the taxonomy of pinguipedids and his long-term friendship with the authors”
Parapercis robinsoni Fowler 1929 in honor of John Benjamin Romer Robinson (1869-1949), South African attorney, businessman and angler, “in slight acknowledgment of his interest in Natal fishes”
Parapercis roseoviridis (Gilbert 1905) roseus, rosy or pink; viridis, green, referring to light-rose ground color above, crossed by five pairs of broad brownish-green bars
Parapercis rota Sparks, Chaloux, Schelly, Gruber, Sparks & Phillips 2021 Latin for wheel, referring to pigmentation pattern on upper flank comprising well-defined dark saddles that are continuous (i.e., connected) ventrally along lateral midline, and have a central (=dorsomedial) white spot, such that they resemble wheels
Parapercis rubricaudalis Johnson & Motomura 2017 rubri-, red; caudalis, caudal fin, referring to distinctively red lower portion of caudal fin
Parapercis rubromaculata Ho, Chang & Shao 2012 rubro-, red; maculata, spotted, referring to characteristic red spots on caudal fin on fresh specimens
Parapercis rufa Randall 2001 reddish, referring to its rose-brown color [replacement name for Parapercis rosea Fourmanoir 1985, preoccupied by P. rosea (Liénard 1829), synonym of P. punctulata]
Parapercis sagma Allen & Erdmann 2012 saddle, referring to pattern of dark saddles on back
Parapercis schauinslandii (Steindachner 1900) in honor of German zoologist and explorer Hugo Hermann Schauinsland (1857-1937), who collected type during a 1896-97 expedition to the South Pacific
Parapercis sexfasciata (Temminck & Schlegel 1843) sex, six; fasciata, banded, referring to six dark-brown vertical bands on body, forked above, lighter in the middle
Parapercis sexlorata Johnson 2006 sex, six; lorata, strap, referring to six distinctive narrow, black, strap-like bars across the back
Parapercis shaoi Randall 2008 in honor of ichthyologist and marine ecologist Kwang-Tsao Shao (b. 1951), Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica (Taiwan), Randall’s “good friend and colleague for many years,” who collected first specimen from Taiwan in 1975
Parapercis signata Randall 1984 marked or flagged, referring to “striking” black, orange-yellow and red markings, particularly on the fins
Parapercis simulata Schultz 1968 copied or imitated, referring to color pattern similar to that of its closest relative, P. alboguttata
Parapercis snyderi Jordan & Starks 1905 in honor of ichthyologist John Otterbein Snyder (1867-1943), who collected type with Jordan
Parapercis soliorta Johnson & Motomura 2017 from solis ortus, Latin for sunrise, referring to brilliant yellow-edged red spots along sides of body
Parapercis somaliensis Schultz 1968 –ensis, suffix denoting place: off coast of Somalia, Indian Ocean, type locality (also occurs in Red Sea)
Parapercis stricticeps (De Vis 1884) strictus, contracted or tightened, bound; ceps, head, presumably referring to head “depressed above and below”
Parapercis striolata (Weber 1913) striated or furrowed, presumably referring to brown spot on scales, thus forming numerous longitudinal rows or stripes on body
Parapercis tetracantha (Lacepède 1801) tetra, four; acanthus, spined, referring to four (actually five) dorsal-fin spines
Parapercis vittafrons Randall 2008 vitta, band; frons, face, referring to four dark-brown bands that pass ventrally and anteriorly from eye across front of head
Parapercis xanthogramma Imamura & Yoshino 2007 xanthos, yellow; gramma, lined, referring to yellow bands on cheek region of males
Parapercis xanthozona (Bleeker 1849) xanthos, yellow; zona, band, referring to yellowish (sometimes white) wavy stripe from operculum to tail along middle of body
Pinguipes Cuvier 1829 pinguis, fat; pes, foot, referring to thick and fleshy ventral fins
Pinguipes brasilianus Cuvier 1829 Brazilian, described from Brazil (occurs in Atlantic off coasts of Brazil and Argentina)
Pinguipes chilensis Valenciennes 1833 –ensis, suffix denoting place, Valparaíso, Chile, type locality (occurs in Pacific off coasts of Peru and Chile)
Prolatilus Gill 1865 pro-, forward, probably referring to forward placement of ventral fins (in front of pectorals); Latilus, original genus of P. jugularis (now a synonym of Branchiostegus [Eupercaria: Malacanthidae])
Prolatilus jugularis (Valenciennes 1833) jugular, referring to subthoracic placement of ventral fins, in front of pectoral fins
Pseudopercis Miranda Ribeiro 1903 pseudo-, false; Percis Bloch & Schneider 1801 (preoccupied by the agonid genus Percis Scopoli 1777), name previously used for many pinguipedid species, i.e., although P. numida resembles Percis fasciatus (=Pinguipes brasilianus), such an appearance is false
Pseudopercis numida Miranda Ribeiro 1903 Numida, genus of guineafowl, referring to how white spots on body “vaguely resemble” (translation) those of Numida meleagris
Pseudopercis semifasciata (Cuvier 1829) semi-, half; fasciatus, banded, referring to six dark brown bars on upper part of body
Ryukyupercis Imamura & Yoshino 2007 Ryukyu, referring to Ryukyu Islands, Japan, type locality of R. gushikeni; Percis Bloch & Schneider 1801 (preoccupied by the agonid genus Percis Scopoli 1777), name previously used for many pinguipedid species
Ryukyupercis gushikeni (Yoshino 1975) in honor of Soko Gushiken, Okinawa Development Agency, who collected and photographed type at a fish market in 1971, and provided Yoshino with additional specimens
Simipercis Johnson & Randall 2006 similis, similar or like, referring to Percis Bloch & Schneider 1801 (preoccupied by the agonid genus Percis Scopoli 1777), name previously used for many pinguipedid species
Simipercis trispinosa Johnson & Randall 2006 tri-, three; spinosa, thorny, referring to three dorsal-fin spines, a character state not found in any other pinguipedid
Family CHEIMARRICHTHYIDAE New Zealand Torrentfish
Cheimarrichthys Haast 1874 cheimarrhos, swollen by melting snow and rain, i.e., a rushing or torrential stream, referring to “alpine torrent” of type locality (Otira River, Westland, New Zealand) in March; ichthys, fish
Cheimarrichthys fosterae Haast 1874 in honor of Mrs. J. C. Foster of Sumner, New Zealand (no other information available), who collected type [originally spelled fosteri; since name honors a woman, fosterae reflects the correct gender]
Family AMMODYTIDAE Sand Lances
7 genera · 35 species
Ammodytes Linnaeus 1758 name dating to Gesner (1558), ammos, sand; dytes, diver, referring to how they spend the day buried in the sand (emerging at dusk to feed), and rapidly bury themselves in the sand when alarmed
Ammodytes americanus DeKay 1842 American, described from Connecticut and New York (USA), an American species that “appears to be closely allied” to the European A. tobianus
Ammodytes dubius Reinhardt 1837 doubtful, reflecting Reinhardt’s hesitation that this Greenland species represented a species distinct from the European A. tobianus and A. lancea (=tobianus)
Ammodytes heian Orr, Wildes & Kai 2015 transliteration of the Japanese word for “peace”; type specimens were collected in 2008 from waters off Fukushima and Iwate prefectures, both within the deadly pass of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of March 2011)
Ammodytes hexapterus Pallas 1814 hexa-, six; pterus, fin, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to lack of pelvic fins (but that leaves the fish with five total fins, not six)
Ammodytes japonicus Duncker & Mohr 1939 Japanese, referring to Hokkaido, Japan, type locality (occurs from Sea of Okhotsk through Sea of Japan to Pacific coast of Japan and East China Sea)
Ammodytes marinus Raitt 1934 of the sea, presumably referring to its occurrence in the North Sea (off Scotland) and the north Atlantic
Ammodytes personatus Girard 1856 masked, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to dark area on head seen on only a few specimens (per Orr et al. 2015)
Ammodytes tobianus Linnaeus 1758 latinization of tobian or tobias, local names for this fish in Hamburg, Germany, as reported in Von Schonevelde (1624)
Ammodytoides Duncker & Mohr 1939 –oides, having the form of: Ammodytes but distinguished by the absence of plicae (oblique skin folds that run full length of body from head to caudal-fin base, within which tiny cycloid scales are embedded)
Ammodytoides gilli (Bean 1895) in honor of Smithsonian zoologist Theodore Gill (1837-1914); proposed as Bleekeria gilli, “thereby associating the names of two eminent ichthyologists, whose contributions to this branch of zoology have in many respects followed along similar lines”
Ammodytoides idai Randall & Earle 2008 in honor of colleague and friend Hitoshi Ida, marine biologist, Kitasato University (Tokyo, Japan), for “extensive” research on ammodytids
Ammodytoides kanazawai Shibukawa & Ida 2013 in honor of Takeshi Kanazawa, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, who collected type in 1995 and provided the authors the opportunity to examine it
Ammodytoides kimurai Ida & Randall 1993 in honor of Johnson Kimura, Ogasawara Fisheries Center (Chichi-jima, Japan), who assisted the authors in many ways collecting and photographing fishes in the Ogasawara Islands
Ammodytoides leptus Collette & Randall 2000 thin or slender, the thinnest species of the genus
Ammodytoides praematura Randall & Earle 2008 premature, referring to holotype being mature at an unexpectedly small size (61 mm SL) for species of this genus
Ammodytoides pylei Randall, Ida & Earle 1994 in honor of ichthyologist Richard L. Pyle (b. 1967), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), principal collector of type specimens
Ammodytoides renniei (Smith 1957) in honor of John Rennie, Grahamstown, South Africa, childhood friend of Smith’s son William, who discovered three specimens “found on the beach after an onset of cold water, together with other valuable material” (including a dead 3m-long oarfish)
Ammodytoides vagus (McCulloch & Waite 1916) wandering, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to how this species, endemic to Lord Howe Island of the southwestern Pacific, occurs far away from the “closely allied” (and, the authors suggested, possibly conspecific) A. gilli of the eastern Pacific
Ammodytoides xanthops Randall & Heemstra 2008 xanthos, yellow; ops, eye, referring to dominant yellow color of head dorsally and anterior to eye
Bleekeria Günther 1862 –ia, belonging to: Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker (1819-1878) who, at this time, was negotiating with Günther via correspondence the sale of parts of his massive collection of Indo-Pacific fishes to Günther and the British Museum
Bleekeria albicauda Psomadakis, Yoshinaga, Wah & Ida 2021 albus, white; cauda, tail, referring to distinctive white blotches on tips of caudal fin (unique among congeners)
Bleekeria estuaria Randall & Ida 2014 estuarine, named for its being collected from an estuary, an unexpected habitat for an ammodytid
Bleekeria kallolepis Günther 1862 kallos, beauty; lepis, scale, allusion not explained, presumably referring to scales “arranged with great regularity, and much longer than high”
Bleekeria mitsukurii Jordan & Evermann 1902 in honor of zoologist Kakichi Mitsukuri (1857-1909), Imperial University of Tokyo, who provided specimens of Japanese fishes to the authors (but not of this one)
Bleekeria murtii Joshi, Zacharia & Kanthan 2012 in honor of V. Sriramachandra Murty, “well known” taxonomist and former Head, Demersal Fisheries Division, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi, India
Bleekeria nigrilinea Psomadakis, Yoshinaga, Wah & Ida 2021 nigri-, black; linea, line, referring to distinctive black lines on upper and lower margins of caudal fin (unique among congeners)
Bleekeria profunda Randall & Ida 2014 deep, referring to its capture by trawl at a depth of 237-240 m, the deepest known for an ammodytid (along with Protammodytes ventrolineatus)
Bleekeria viridianguilla (Fowler 1931) viridis, green; anguilla, eel, Latin transliteration of its Chinese name T’seng Sin (green eel), referring to its elongate, compressed body; however, color is not described as green but as “broccoli [sic] brown” above and “pale vinaceous cinnamon” below
Gymnammodytes Duncker & Mohr 1935 gymnos, bare or naked; Ammodytes, original genus of G. cicerelus, referring to its scaleless body (except for rudimentary scales on posterior half of tail)
Gymnammodytes capensis (Barnard 1927) –ensis, suffix denoting place: the Cape, presumably referring to co-type locality off Table Bay, Cape Town, South Africa
Gymnammodytes cicerelus (Rafinesque 1810) latinization of Cicerello (also sometimes spelled Cicerellu and Cicirello), local Italian name for this species as reported by the botanist Paolo Boccone (1633-1704) in 1674 [Rafinesque emended spelling to cicerellus later in 1810 but original spelling stands]
Gymnammodytes semisquamatus (Jourdain 1879) semi-, half; squamatus, scaled, referring to scales restricted to posterior third of body
Hyperoplus Günther 1862 hyper-, very; enoplus, armed, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “tooth-like bicuspid prominence” on vomer of H. lanceolatus
Hyperoplus immaculatus (Corbin 1950) im-, not; maculatus, spotted, referring to absence of prominent black spot on sides of snout just above middle of upper jaw of adults as seen on the similar A. lanceolatus
Hyperoplus lanceolatus (Le Sauvage 1824) lance-like, referring to shape of body (hence the common name “sand lance”)
Lepidammodytes Ida, Sirimontaporn & Monkolprasit 1994 lepido-, scale, presumably referring to its “strongly” ctenoid scales, i.e., a scaly Ammodytes
Lepidammodytes macrophthalmus Ida, Sirimontaporn & Monkolprasit 1994 macro-, large; ophthalmus, eye, referring to large eye, 5-6% of SL, 25% of HL
Protammodytes Ida, Sirimontaporn & Monkolprasit 1994 protos, first, regarded as the most primitive or generalized genus of the family, i.e., the first Ammodytes
Protammodytes brachistos Ida, Sirimontaporn & Monkolprasit 1994 shortest, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to having the shortest body (with the largest head) of all ammodytids with correspondingly fewer lateral-line scales (R. Fricke, pers. comm.)
Protammodytes sarisa (Robins & Böhlke 1970) Greek for lance, referring to lance-like shape of slender body and pointed snout
Protammodytes ventrolineatus Randall & Ida 2014 ventro-, ventral; lineatus, lined, referring to series of 22 oblique black lines on side of abdomen, and three longitudinal black lines midventrally
Family URANOSCOPIDAE Stargazers
7 genera · 60 species
Astroscopus Brevoort 1860 astro-, star; scopus, watcher, referring to upwardly directed eyes of A. anoplos (=ygraecum), hence the common name “stargazer”
Astroscopus guttatus Abbott 1860 spotted (as with rain drops), referring to “chocolate tinted surfaces” of upper body and lower jaw “minutely covered with numerous circular spots or guttæ, of the same tint, but several shades lighter”
Astroscopus sexspinosus (Steindachner 1876) sex, six; spinosus, spiny, referring to six short spines in front of dorsal fin
Astroscopus ygraecum (Cuvier 1829) y, the letter; graecum, Greek, referring to conspicuous ridge on top of head, in the form of the Greek letter ϒ (originally spelled “Y graecum,” corrected to ygraecum according to ICZN Art. 32.5.2.2 and sometimes misspelled “y-graecum”)
Astroscopus zephyreus Gilbert & Starks 1897 western, from zephyrus, the west wind, allusion not explained, probably referring to its occurrence in the eastern Pacific whereas all congeners occur in the Atlantic
Genyagnus Gill 1861 genys, cheek, referring to chin barbel; Agnus, an old name of Uranoscopus scaber, probably used here as a generic term for uranoscopids
Genyagnus monopterygius (Schneider 1801) mono-, one; pterygius, fin, proposed in the genus Uranoscopus but lacking a spinous dorsal fin
Ichthyscopus Swainson 1839 ichthys, fish; scopus, watcher, but here proposed as a subgenus of Uranoscopus with one continuous dorsal fin instead of spinous and soft-rayed portions separate
Ichthyscopus barbatus Mees 1960 bearded, referring to two small barbels on chin
Ichthyscopus fasciatus Haysom 1957 striped, referring to five, broad dark-brown crossbands on body and three irregular brown bands on head
Ichthyscopus inermis (Cuvier 1829) unarmed, presumably referring to absence of spine above pectoral-fin base (present on Uranoscopus)
Ichthyscopus insperatus Mees 1960 unexpected, referring to its naked body, the only scaleless species in the genus
Ichthyscopus lebeck (Bloch & Schneider 1801) in honor of naturalist Heinrich Julius Lebeck (1772-1800 or 1801]), “ardent lover of natural history” (translation) and assistant to Christoph Samuel John (1747-1813), a German missionary in the Danish colony of Tranquebar (now called Tharangambadi) in India, who supplied natural history specimens for Bloch, including this fish; John named it “Uranoscopus lebeckii” in a note accompanying the specimen [presumably a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i” or “ii”]
Ichthyscopus malacopterus (Anonymous [Bennett] 1830) malacos, soft; pterus, fin, referring to “scarcely prickly” (translation) dorsal fin (actually has two small dorsal-fin spines so it cannot be truly considered “soft”)
Ichthyscopus nigripinnis Gomon & Johnson 1999 nigri-, black; pinnis, fin, referring to large black spot on anterior segment of dorsal fin
Ichthyscopus pollicaris Vilasri, Ho, Kawai & Gomon 2019 of the thumb, referring to uppermost pectoral-fin ray (homologous to the thumb) adorned with 1-2 white spots
Ichthyscopus sannio Whitley 1936 harlequin, allusion not explained, possibly referring to large brownish blotch on cheek, like the spots on the cheeks of some clowns
Ichthyscopus spinosus Mees 1960 spiny, referring to well-developed spiny dorsal fin
Kathetostoma Günther 1860 kathetos, vertical or perpendicular; stoma, mouth, referring to vertical cleft of mouth (common to all uranoscopids)
Kathetostoma albigutta Bean 1892 albus, white; gutta, spot, referring to upper surface of the head “minutely dotted with white”
Kathetostoma averruncus Jordan & Bollman 1890 per Jordan & Evermann (1898), named for Averruncus, Roman god of averting harm, referring to “mailed” head, or “coarsely granular” bones on top of head per original description
Kathetostoma binigrasella Gomon & Roberts 2011 bi-, two; nigra-, black; sella, saddle, referring to saddle-like dark bands that cross the body dorsally (versus bands absent or only faintly developed)
Kathetostoma canaster Gomon & Last 1987 grizzled, referring to “distinctive” color pattern: “speckled greyish-brown above, with two more-or-less distinct broad bands dorsally on sides,” and “dorsal surface of head variably mottled and speckled with dusky and dark pigment”
Kathetostoma cubanum Barbour 1941 Cuban, proposed as a subspecies of K. albigutta from the western Atlantic off Cuba
Kathetostoma giganteum Haast 1873 gigantic, at 73.66 cm, the “largest cat-fish hitherto described” (“cat-fish” probably a catch-all term for a bottom-dwelling fish but clearly referring to stargazers) [K. fluviatilis Hutton 1872, type now lost, may be an earlier name]
Kathetostoma laeve (Bloch & Schneider 1801) smooth, referring to scaleless body
Kathetostoma nigrofasciatum Waite & McCulloch 1915 nigro-, black; fasciatum, banded, referring to two prominent broad dark-brown bands across back
Pleuroscopus Barnard 1927 pleuro-, side; scopus, watcher, referring to its laterally placed eyes (versus dorsally placed in other members of the family)
Pleuroscopus pseudodorsalis Barnard 1927 pseudo-, false; dorsalis, dorsal, allusion not explained, presumably referring to spinous dorsal fin absent, the “last trace” of which “represented by a series of short immovable tubercles” (thereby serving as a “false” dorsal fin)
Uranoscopus Linnaeus 1758 urano, sky; scopus, watcher, referring to upwardly directed eyes of U. scaber (and most species of family, hence the common name “stargazer”) [the name, along with Callionymus (Syngnathiformes: Callionymidae), also has an obscene sexual connotation, a topic explored in the 28 Dec. 2022 “Name of the Week” entry at etyfish.org]
Uranoscopus affinis Cuvier 1829 related, an Indo-West Pacific species “quote similar” (translation) to the stargazers of Europe
Uranoscopus albesca Regan 1915 albus, white; esca, bait, referring to white oral flap on lower-jaw membrane, used to attract prey
Uranoscopus alius Prokofiev 2021 Latin for different (i.e., not the one that is needed), referring to how the name previously applied to this species, U. oligolepis, belong to a different, dissimilar species
Uranoscopus arafurensis Prokofiev 2020 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Arafura Sea, Indo-Australian Archipelago, only known area of occurrence
Uranoscopus archionema Regan 1921 etymology not explained, perhaps archi-, first, old or primitive, and nema-, thread, referring in some way to “small pointed median projection,” or oral flap, on lower jaw, used to attract prey
Uranoscopus batrachops Prokofiev 2021 batrachus, frog; ops, eye, referring to its protruding eyes
Uranoscopus bauchotae Brüss 1987 in honor of Marie-Louise Bauchot (b. 1928), ichthyologist and assistant manager, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris), who “kindly” made the type material available to the Senckenberg Museum
Uranoscopus bicinctus Temminck & Schlegel 1843 bi-, two; cinctus, girdle or belt, referring to two large dark bands encircling body (but not very distinct on underside)
Uranoscopus brunneus Fricke 2018 brown, referring to overall brown coloration, and especially to its brown pectoral-fin membranes
Uranoscopus cadenati Poll 1959 in honor of ichthyologist Jean Cadenat (1908-1992), Director, Marine Biological Section of the Institut Français d’Afrique Noire (Gorée, Senegal), with whom Poll collaborated more than once while studying fishes under the auspices of Mbizi (non-profit organization that sponsored expedition that collected type)
Uranoscopus chinensis Guichenot 1882 –ensis, suffix denoting place: China, type locality, possibly East China Sea (occurs in western Pacific from Japan to Taiwan) [Guichenot’s contribution to the description is unclear, perhaps authorship should be Sauvage (ex Guichenot); possibly a synonym of U. oligolepis]
Uranoscopus cognatus Cantor 1849 related, presumably referring to how this species “closely resembles” U. scaber and/or “nearl[ly] approaches” U. marmoratus
Uranoscopus crassiceps Alcock 1890 crassus, thick, fat or stout; ceps, head, referring to “extraordinary size” of the head, with “massive and rugose” bones
Uranoscopus dahlakensis Brüss 1987 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Dahlak Archipelago, Eritrea, Red Sea, type locality
Uranoscopus dollfusi Brüss 1987 in honor of Robert-Philippe Dollfus (1887-1976), ichthyologist and parasitologist, who collected type in 1929
Uranoscopus filibarbis Cuvier 1829 filum, thread; barbis, barbel, referring to “long, slender filament that hangs under the symphysis of the lower jaw, independently of those that emerge from the mouth” (translation) as in related species
Uranoscopus fuscomaculatus Kner 1868 fuscus, dark or dusky; maculatus, spotted, referring to large and small dark-brown spots on back and on sides from occiput to caudal fin
Uranoscopus guttatus Cuvier 1829 spotted (as with rain drops), referring to head and back dotted with white, round and distinct spots
Uranoscopus japonicus Houttuyn 1782 Japanese, described from Suruga Bay, Japan (occurs in western Pacific from southern Japan to South China Sea)
Uranoscopus kaianus Günther 1880 –anus, belonging to: Kai Islands, Molucca Islands, Indonesia, type locality
Uranoscopus kishimotoi Fricke 2018 in honor of Hirokazu Kishimoto, Tokai University (Japan), for his “important” research on uranoscopids; he already recognized the existence of this species and U. brunneus in 2001
Uranoscopus marisrubri Brüss 1987 maris, sea; rubrus, red, referring to the Red Sea, where it is endemic
Uranoscopus marmoratus Cuvier 1829 marbled, referring to entire back mottled with round, pale spots on a brown background
Uranoscopus oculocirrhis Prokofiev 2021 oculus, eye; cirrhis, barbel, referring to presence of a supraorbital cirrus
Uranoscopus oligolepis Bleeker 1878 oligos, few; lepis, scale, having fewer transverse scales rows (~20) compared to 40 on the similar U. asper (=japonicus)
Uranoscopus polli Cadenat 1951 in honor of Belgian ichthyologist Max Poll (1908-1991) [Poll returned the favor in 1959; see U. cadenati, above]
Uranoscopus rosette Randall & Arnold 2012 diminutive of rosa, i.e., a small rose, referring to diagnostic circular clusters of spots, many rose-like, dorsally on body
Uranoscopus scaber Linnaeus 1758 rough (to the touch), presumably referring to scabrous body surface
Uranoscopus sulphureus Valenciennes 1832 referring to “beautiful” (translation) sulphur-yellow color of head
Uranoscopus tosae (Jordan & Hubbs 1925) of Tosa, Shikoku Island, Japan, type locality (occurs in northwest Pacific from southern Japan to South China Sea)
Uranoscopus turbisquamatus (Okamura & Kishimoto 1993) turba, disorder; squamatus, scaled, referring to random arrangement of body scales
Xenocephalus Kaup 1858 xenos, strange or foreign (i.e., different); cephalus, head, referring to “abnormally” (translation) head, cuirassed with plates and armed with spines
Xenocephalus armatus Kaup 1858 armed with a weapon, presumably referring to spines on head and operculum
Xenocephalus australiensis (Kishimoto 1989) –ensis, suffix denoting place: proposed as an Australian subspecies of X. elongatus
Xenocephalus cribratus (Kishimoto 1989) cribrum, sieve, i.e., provided with sieve meshes, referring to color pattern (squared spots larger than iris) of young specimens (spots minute and more numerous in larger specimens)
Xenocephalus egregius (Jordan & Thompson 1905) exceptional, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to very large head, “monstrous in form,” with “preopercular angle developed as a long flattened wing-like appendage”; it may be relevant to note that Jordan & Thompson proposed a new genus for this species, Execestides, named for a “citizen of Athens, with a strange and barbarous lineage”
Xenocephalus elongatus (Temminck & Schlegel 1843) elongate, referring to more slender body compared to presumed congeners in Uranoscopus
Family LEPTOSCOPIDAE Southern Sandfishes
3 genera · 5 species
Crapatalus Günther 1861 etymology not explained nor evident, perhaps a misspelling or variation of crapulatus, drunk, referring to its cleft mouth, possibly reminiscent of a drunkard (Holger Funk, pers. comm.)
Crapatalus angusticeps (Hutton 1874) angustus, narrow; ceps, head, described as 1.5 times longer than it is wide
Crapatalus munroi Last & Edgar 1987 in honor of Ian S. R. Munro (1919-1994), an “eminent student of ichthyology,” who discovered this species
Crapatalus novaezelandiae Günther 1861 of New Zealand, where it is endemic
Leptoscopus Gill 1859 leptos, thin, presumably referring to elongate or gradually tapering body; scopus, watcher, referring to upwardly directed eyes and/or original placement in Uranoscopus (Uranoscopiformes)
Leptoscopus macropygus (Richardson 1846) macro-, long or large; pygus, rump or buttock, referring to long anal fin (“pinná ani longissima”)
Lesueurina Fowler 1908 –ina, belonging to: French naturalist Charles Alexandre Lesueur (1778-1846), the first to study fishes in the collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (where Fowler worked)
Lesueurina platycephala Fowler 1908 platy, broad; cephala, headed, referring to broad, depressed head
Family CENTROGENYIDAE False Scorpionfishes
Centrogenys Richardson 1842 kentron, thorn or spine; genys, cheek, referring to two spines on operculum
Centrogenys algrahami Matsunuma & Johnson 2023 in honor of Alastair Graham (b. 1964), Fish Collection Manager, CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation), Canberra, Australia, for his “great contributions to the Australian marine fish specimen collection and generous assistance in finding this new species”
Centrogenys pogonoskii Matsunuma & Johnson 2023 in honor of John Pogonoski, CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation), Canberra, Australia, for his “great contributions to the marine fish taxonomy in Australia and generous assistance in finding this new species”
Centrogenys vaigiensis (Quoy & Gaimard 1824) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Pulau Waigeo (or Vaigiou), Papua Barat, Indonesia, type locality