Updated 19 Feb. 2025
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Viperfishes
Subfamily CHAULIODONTINAE Bonaparte 1845
Chauliodus Bloch & Schneider 1801 chaúlios (Gr. χαύλιος), gaping (but here used in the sense of protruding); odoús (Gr. ὀδούς), tooth, referring to long, exserted teeth on both jaws of C. sloani
Chauliodus barbatus Garman 1899 Latin for bearded, referring to “more developed” barbel compared with C. sloani
Chauliodus danae Regan & Trewavas 1929 in honor of the Danish fishery research vessel Dana, which collected holotype
Chauliodus dentatus Garman 1899 Latin for toothed, referring to “stouter and more erect” maxillary teeth compared with C. sloani
Chauliodus macouni Bean 1890 in honor of Irish-born explorer-naturalist John C. Macoun (1831–1920), Geological Survey of Canada
Chauliodus minimus Parin & Novikova 1974 Latin for least, referring to its small size (up to 14.5 cm SL) compared with congeners
Chauliodus pammelas Alcock 1892 pammélas (Gr. παμμέλας), all black, referring to its “uniform jet-black” coloration
Chauliodus schmidti Ege 1948 patronym not identified, probably in honor of Danish biologist Johannes Schmidt (1877–1933), who led the Dana fishery research cruise during which holotype was collected
Chauliodus sloani Bloch & Schneider 1801 in honor of Hans Sloane (1660–1753), British physician and naturalist, whose 1725 Voyage to Jamaica is cited several times by Bloch and Schneider (and whose collection formed the foundation of the British Museum)
Chauliodus vasnetzovi Novikova 1972 in honor of the late Vladimir Viktorovich Vasnetsov (1889–1953), “eminent” Russian ichthyologist (translation)
Scaly Dragonfishes and Lightfishes
Subfamily STOMIINAE Bleeker 1859
Ichthyococcus Bonaparte 1840 ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish; coccus, latinization of Cocco, referring to Italian naturalist-pharmacist Anastasio Cocco (1799–1854), who described three species of the family in 1838
Ichthyococcus australis Mukhacheva 1980 Latin for southern, referring to its distribution in the Southern Hemisphere
Ichthyococcus elongatus Imai 1941 Latin for prolonged, referring to its more elongate body compared with I. ovatus
Ichthyococcus intermedius Mukhacheva 1980 Latin for intermediate, described as in form between I. ovatus and I. polli
Ichthyococcus irregularis Rechnitzer & Böhlke 1958 Latin for irregular, referring to irregular arrangement of ventral photophores in front of pectoral fin
Ichthyococcus ovatus (Cocco 1838) Latin for egg-shaped, referring to its body shape (“Il suo corpo è ovato”)
Ichthyococcus parini Mukhacheva 1980 in honor of Nikolai Vasil’evich Parin (1932–2012), Russian Academy of Sciences, for his work on oceanic fishes
Ichthyococcus polli Blache 1964 in honor of Belgian ichthyologist Max Poll (1908–1991), for his “considérable” contributions to the science
Phosichthys Hutton 1872 phṓs (Gr. φῶς), light, referring to series of phosphorescent spots along lower side of body and tail; ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish
Phosichthys argenteus Hutton 1872 Latin for silvery, referring to silvery sides and/or numerous silvery bands on abdomen
Pollichthys Grey 1959 Poll, in honor of Belgian ichthyologist Max Poll (1908–1991), who described P. mauli in 1953; ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish
Pollichthys mauli (Poll 1953) in honor of German ichthyologist-taxidermist Günther Edmund Maul (1909–1997), Museu Municipal do Funchal (Portugal), who described several deep-sea fishes
Polymetme McCulloch 1926 polý (Gr. πολύ), many; metme, etymology not explained, perhaps derived from méteimi (Gr. μέτειμι), to include or be among, if so, allusion not evident; one possibility: McCulloch described the genus in Gonostomatidae, thought to include some of the most abundant vertebrate genera in the world (although McCulloch did not mention abundance of P. illustris)
Polymetme andriashevi Parin & Borodulina 1990 in honor of the “outstanding” (translation) Russian ichthyologist Anatoly Petrovich Andriashev (1910–2009), on the occasion of his 80th birthday
Polymetme corythaeola (Alcock 1898) korythaíolos (Gr. κορυθαίολος), with quivering helmet, possibly referring to how “whole crown of head (from the snout to the occiput) appears to have been luminous”
Polymetme elongata (Matsubara 1938) Latin for prolonged, referring to its more elongate body compared with P. illustris
Polymetme illustris McCulloch 1926 Latin for lighted up, light or lustrous, presumably referring to numerous photophores on lower sides of body
Polymetme surugaensis (Matsubara 1943) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Suruga Bay, Sea of Japan, where type locality (Heta) is situated
Polymetme thaeocoryla Parin & Borodulina 1990 anagram of the specific name of P. corythaeola, its closest relative
Stomias Cuvier 1816 stomías (Gr. στομίας), a hard-mouthed horse but often used for any large-mouthed animal, referring to mouth cleft of S. boa “almost to the gills” (translation)
Stomias affinis Günther 1887 Latin for related, presumably referring to its similarity to S. boa
Stomias atriventer Garman 1899 atri-, rom ater (L.), black; venter (L.), belly, referring to its black belly
Stomias boa (Risso 1810) Latin for a large serpent, described as having “the head of a reptile on the body of a pike” (translation)
Stomias boa ferox Reinhardt 1842 Latin for fierce, allusion not explained, probably referring to ferocious appearance of its mouth and sharp fangs
Stomias brevibarbatus Ege 1918 brevis (L.), short; barbatus (L.), bearded, referring to its short barbel, just 3.5 mm
Stomias colubrinus Garman 1899 Latin for snake-like, referring to its long, slender body (a characteristic of the genus)
Stomias danae Ege 1933 in honor of the Danish fishery research vessel Dana, which collected holotype
Stomias gracilis Garman 1899 Latin for thin or slender, presumably referring to its long, slender body (a characteristic of the genus)
Stomias lampropeltis Gibbs 1969 named for Lampropeltis, a genus of colubrid snakes, presumably referring to its snake-like appearance (a characteristic of the genus)
Stomias longibarbatus (Brauer 1902) longus (L.), long; barbatus (L.), bearded, referring to long barbel, seven times length of head and >⅓ of body length
Stomias nebulosus Alcock 1889 Latin for cloudy, presumably referring to a “salient white line” on abdomen, “which is resolved by the lens [of magnifying glass] into a linear cloud of thick-set white specks”
Stomias pacificus (Fedorov & Mel’chikova 1971) -icus (L.), belonging to: first species of Macrostomias (genus at time of description, now a synonym of Stomias) known from the Pacific Ocean
Triplophos Brauer 1902 triplo (L.), threefold; phṓs (Gr. φῶς), light, referring to triple series of phosphorescent organs that run along the sides
Triplophos hemingi (McArdle 1901) in honor of Thomas Henry Heming (1856–?), Commander of the Royal Indian Marine Survey steamer Investigator, which collected holotype, for his interest in and the “trouble he has invariably taken” during the vessel’s zoological work
Vinciguerria Jordan & Evermann 1896 –ia (L. suffix), belonging to: Italian physician-ichthyologist Decio Vinciguerra (1856–1934), “director of the Acquario Romano, and one of the most active and scholarly of the naturalists of Italy”
Vinciguerria attenuata (Cocco 1838) Latin for drawn-out or tapered, referring to its thin, elongate body
Vinciguerria lucetius (Garman 1899) named for Lucetius (also known as Lucerius), the giver of light in Roman mythology, referring to photophores on head and two lateral rows of pearl-like photophores on underside of body [often misspelled lucetia]
Vinciguerria mabahiss Johnson & Feltes 1984 named for the Egyptian research ship Mabahiss, “for her captain and crew, for the scientists aboard, for the organizing committee and supporters, and for scientists serving as authors of the 11 volumes (November 1935–-May 1967) issued as Scientific Reports of the John Murray Expedition 1933-1934” to the Red Sea, where this species occurs
Vinciguerria nimbaria (Jordan & Williams 1895) –ia (L. suffix), belonging to: nimbus (L.), rain storm, referring to how type specimens “were cast up in a storm and thrown by the waves on the deck of a vessel coming in from Australia” (somewhere northeast of Hawaii, actual type locality in the central Pacific not known)
Vinciguerria poweriae (Cocco 1838) in honor of marine biologist Jeanne Villepreux-Power (1794–1871, also known as Jeanette Power), Cocco’s friend and colleague
Woodsia Grey 1959 –ia (L. suffix), belonging to: Loren P. Woods (1914–1979), Curator of Fishes, Chicago Natural History Museum, where Grey worked
Woodsia meyerwaardeni Krefft 1973 in honor of Paul-Friedrich Meyer-Waarden (1902–1975), Executive Director, Bundesforschungsanstalt für Fischerei (Federal Research Centre for Fisheries), on the occasion of his 70th birthday, and for his contribution to the publication of Krefft’s series of papers on fishes collected during research cruises of the Walther Herwig in South America
Woodsia nonsuchae (Beebe 1932) of Nonsuch Island, Bermuda, near where holotype was collected at a depth of 600 fathoms
Yarrella Goode & Bean 1896 –ella (L.), diminutive connoting endearment: named for English zoologist William Yarrell (1784–1856), whose A History of British Fishes (1835–36) is cited three times in Goode and Bean’s monograph
Yarrella argenteola (Garman 1899) diminutive of argenteus (L.), silver, i.e., somewhat silvery, presumably referring to silvery coloration on cheeks, eyes and sides and/or skin below the scales “more or less of silver color”
Yarrella blackfordi Goode & Bean 1896 in honor of E. G. Blackford, president of the board of fish commissioners of the State of New York (USA), for “services in the promotion of ichthyological studies”
Snaggletooths
Subfamily ASTRONESTHINAE Günther 1864
Astronesthes Richardson 1845 astro-, from astḗr (Gr. ἀστήρ), star; esthḗs (Gr. ἐσθής), dress, clothing or raiment, i.e., clothed in stars, allusion not explained, presumably referring to skin of A. nigra “thickly studded” with white “microscopical papillæ” and/or ~22 luminous spots, “conspicuous to the naked eye, and very ornamental,” between chin and ventral, which, on black skin, can be said to appear like stars in a black sky [historically treated as a masculine name based on incorrect translation of esthes as “to eat”; gender is feminine and spellings of adjectival names have been adjusted]
Subgenus Astronesthes
Astronesthes atlantica Parin & Borodulina 1996 –ica (L.), belonging to: Atlantic Ocean, where it is endemic to equatorial warm waters
Astronesthes barbata Kner 1860 Latin for bearded, referring to longer barbel compared with A. nigra, its length nearly equal to half of its TL
Astronesthes bilobata Parin & Borodulina 1996 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; lobata (L.), lobed, referring to two flattened lobes at distal part of barbel
Astronesthes boulengeri Gilchrist 1902 in honor of Belgian-born British ichthyologist-herpetologist George A. Boulenger (1858–1937), British Museum (Natural History), “for his ready assistance and advice”
Astronesthes caulophorus Regan & Trewavas 1929 etymology not explained, presumably caulis (L.), stalk or stem, and phorus, from phoreús (Gr. φορεύς), bearer or carrier, possibly referring to “stout” barbel, as long as head
Astronesthes cyanea (Brauer 1902) Latin for dark blue, presumably referring to its bluish-black coloration (with a slightly metallic sheen)
Astronesthes decorata Parin & Borodulina 2002 Latin for adorned, referring to greater development of spots of luminous tissue on body compared to other closely related species
Astronesthes dupliglandis Parin & Borodulina 1997 duplex (L.), double or two-fold; glandis (L.), acorn (but here meaning a small gland), referring to spot of luminous tissue on gill cover, formed by two vertical and closely attached glands
Astronesthes exsul Parin & Borodulina 2002 Latin for wanderer or exile, the only species of the A. nigra species group that does not occur in the Atlantic (it occurs in the Indian Ocean)
Astronesthes formosana Liao, Chen & Shao 2006 –ana (L.), belonging to: Formosa, or Taiwan, referring to its restricted distribution off the coast of that island
Astronesthes galapagensis Parin, Borodulina & Hulley 1999 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: referring to numerous collection records east and west of the Galapagos Islands
Astronesthes gemmifer Goode & Bean 1896 Latin for producing gems, referring to numerous “gem-like dots” on lower part of body
Astronesthes gibbsi Borodulina 1992 in honor of American ichthyologist Robert H. Gibbs, Jr. (1929–1988), for “outstanding” (translation) contributions to our knowledge of stomiid fishes, and for being the first to recognize this species as undescribed
Astronesthes gudrunae Parin & Borodulina 2002 in honor of Gudrun Schulze, a technician of the fish collection of the Institut für Seefischerei (Hamburg), in “sincere gratitude for all her help” in the authors’ study (translation)
Astronesthes haplophos Parin & Borodulina 2002 haplós (Gr. ἁπλός), single or simple; phṓs (Gr. φῶς), light, referring to weak development of aggregations of luminous tissue
Astronesthes illuminata Parin, Borodulina & Hulley 1999 Latin for brightened or adorned, possessing more luminous patches than other species in the A. boulengeri species group
Astronesthes indica Brauer 1902 –ica (L.), belonging to: western Indian Ocean, type locality
Astronesthes indopacifica Parin & Borodulina 1997 –ica (L.), belonging to: warm-water regions of Indian and Pacific oceans, where it occurs
Astronesthes karsteni Parin & Borodulina 2002 in honor of Karsten E. Hartel (b. 1944), curator of the fish collection at Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology, which housed many specimens used in the authors’ study
Astronesthes kiyofujii Nakayama, Ohashi & Tanaka 2021 in honor of fisheries scientist Hidetada Kiyofuji, who encouraged and supported the authors’ study as group leader of the Skipjack and Albacore Group, Tuna and Skipjack Resources Division, National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries (Shizuoka, Japan)
Astronesthes kreffti Gibbs & McKinney 1988 in honor of German ichthyologist Gerhard Krefft (1912–1993), Institut für Seefischerei (Hamburg), who enabled Gibbs to participate in the cruise whereupon this species was first recognized
Astronesthes lamellosa Goodyear & Gibbs 1970 –osa (L.), suffix indicating abundance: lamella (L.), thin, plate-like structure, referring to numerous gill lamellae
Astronesthes lampara Parin & Borodulina 1998 Lampara, nickname of the ichthyological laboratory aboard the 4th (1968) cruise of the research vessel Akademik Kurchatov, during which holotype was collected; name refers to the lampara seine, a net used to catch Peruvian anchovies
Astronesthes leucopogon Regan & Trewavas 1929 leuco-, from leukós (Gr. λευκός); pṓgōn (Gr. πώγων), beard, referring to white barbel
Astronesthes lucibucca Parin & Borodulina 1996 luci-, from lucidus (L.), bright or shining; bucca (L.), cheek, referring to luminous patches in cheek region
Astronesthes luetkeni Regan & Trewavas 1929 in honor of Danish zoologist Christian Frederik Lütken (1827–1901), who reported this species as distinct from A. richardsoni in 1892 but did not name it
Astronesthes lupina Whitley 1941 presumably a diminutive of lupus (L.), wolf, described from a larval specimen that Whitley called “Little Wolf”)
Astronesthes macropogon Goodyear & Gibbs 1970 macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; pṓgōn (Gr. πώγων), beard, referring to longer barbel compared with the other Atlantic species, A. micropogon
Astronesthes micropogon Goodyear & Gibbs 1970 micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; pṓgōn (Gr. πώγων), beard, referring to shorter barbel compared with the other Atlantic species, A. macropogon
Astronesthes neopogon Regan & Trewavas 1929 néos (Gr. νέος), new; pṓgōn (Gr. πώγων), beard, allusion not explained, perhaps referring in some way to its barbel, described as “thick, laterally compressed, white, without any slender proximal part”
Astronesthes nigra Richardson 1845 Latin for black or dark, referring to “pitch black” color of head and body [often misspelled niger]
Astronesthes nigroides Gibbs & Aron 1960 –oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: A. nigra, which it resembles in structure of barbel
Astronesthes oligoa Parin & Borodulina 2002 olígos (Gr. ὀλίγος), few or scanty; oa, abbreviation (OA) used for lateral photophores, referring to fewer number of OA photophores in lateral row compared with A. nigra
Astronesthes psychrolutes (Gibbs & Weitzman 1965) psychrós (Gr. ψυχρός), cold; lutes, from loúo (Gr. λούω), to wash or bathe oneself, i.e., a cold bather, named for its “midwater” (up to 1500 m) habitat, presumably referring to where the temperature can drop to 5°C
Astronesthes quasiindica Parin & Borodulina 1996 quasi (L.), appearing as if, referring to close similarity to A. indica
Astronesthes richardsoni (Poey 1852) in honor of Scottish surgeon-naturalist John Richardson (1787-1865), who proposed the genus in 1845 [placed in Astronesthes in text, but name, as Chauliodus richardsoni, dates to a plate published 5–6 months earlier]
Astronesthes similus Parr 1927 probably a variant or misspelling of similis (L.), like or resembling, described as “very closely related” to A. lucifera [since etymology is unclear, name is treated as an indeclinable noun]
Astronesthes spatulifera Gibbs & McKinney 1988 spatula (L.), paddle, spoon or broad blade used for stirring, from spáthē (Gr. σπᾰ́θη); –fera (L.), having or bearing, referring to flat tip of barbel
Astronesthes splendida Brauer 1902 Latin for bright or shining, allusion not explained, presumably referring to luminescent barbel and/or luminescent organs on head and body
Astronesthes tanibe Parin & Borodulina 2001 named for Tat’yana Nikolaevna Belyanina (fish named formed by the first two letters of each of her names), P. P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (Moscow), a “well-known specialist” (translation) in oceanic fishes
Astronesthes tatyanae Parin & Borodulina 1998 in honor of Tatyana Borisovna Agafonova, All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO), who collected holotype during 1989 cruise of the Fishery Research Vessel Vozrozhdenie
Astronesthes tchuvasovi Parin & Borodulina 1996 in honor of Vladimir Mikhailovich Chuvasov, lead technician of the Laboratory of Oceanic Fauna, P. P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (Moscow), and the authors’ companion on many research cruises
Astronesthes trifibulata Gibbs, Amaoka & Haruta 1984 tri– (L.), three; fibulata (L.), etymology not explained, presumably brooch-like or fitted with clasps, “alluding to the three filaments characteristically present on the barbel bulb”
Astronesthes zetgibbsi Parin & Borodulina 1997 zeta, the letter Z; gibbsi, in honor of American ichthyologist Robert H. Gibbs, Jr. (1929–1988), “one of the most authoritative investigators” (translation) of the family and other stomiiform fishes, who called this taxon “species Z” in his unpublished materials
Astronesthes zharovi Parin & Borodulina 1998 in honor of ichthyologist Viktor L. Zharov (1932–1998), one of the first Russian researchers of the epipelagic fishes of the World Ocean and a specialist in scombroid fishes
Astronesthes (subgenus Stomianodon) Bleeker 1849 etymology not explained, possibly stóma (Gr. στόμα), mouth; [ur]ano-, from ouranískos (Gr. οὐρανίσκος), roof of mouth; odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, referring to small teeth on palatines of A. chrysophekadion
Astronesthes chrysophekadion (Bleeker 1849) chrysós (Gr. χρυσός), gold or golden; phekadion, presumably from phakoeidḗs (Gr. φακοειδής), lentiform (shaped like a lentil), allusion not explained, probably referring to four series of golden spots on belly
Astronesthes fedorovi Parin & Borodulina 1994 in honor of ichthyologist Vladimir Vladimirovich Fedorov (1939–2011), Russian Academy of Sciences, who first reported this species as new in 1968
Astronesthes ijimai Tanaka 1908 in honor of zoologist Isao Ijima (also spelled Iijima, 1861–1921), Science College, Imperial University of Tokyo
Astronesthes lucifera Gilbert 1905 lux (L.), light; –fera (L.), having or bearing, presumably referring to numerous photophores on body [often spelled lucifer; name is an adjective and not a reference to the Prince of Darkness]
Astronesthes martensii Klunzinger 1871 patronym not identified but probably in honor of German zoologist Karl Eduard von Martens (1831– 1904)
Borostomias Regan 1908 borós (Gr. βορός), gluttonous, referring to very wide mouth of B. braueri (=elucens); Stomias, type genus of family
Borostomias abyssorum (Köhler 1896) –orum (L. suffix), belonging to: ábyssos (Gr. ἄβυσσος), the deep seas, collected at a depth of 800 m
Borostomias antarcticus (Lönnberg 1905) –icus (L.), belonging to: the Antarctic, ship that collected type (and was destroyed in 1903 when it was crushed in the ice)
Borostomias elucens (Brauer 1906) Latin for shining out, presumably referring to photophores on body and tail
Borostomias mononema (Regan & Trewavas 1929) mono-, from mónos (Gr. μόνος), one or single; nḗma (Gr. νῆμα), thread or yarn, referring to one filament (vs. two) near end of barbel
Borostomias pacificus (Imai 1941) –icus (L.), belonging to: Pacific Ocean, the first Pacific representative of a genus (originally described in Diplolychnus, now a synonym) known only from the Atlantic
Borostomias panamensis Regan & Trewavas 1929 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Gulf of Panama, type locality
Eupogonesthes Parin & Borodulina 1993 eū́– (Gr. εὖ), well or very, and pṓgōn (Gr. πώγων), beard, referring to long barbel with a markedly elongated glandular bulb at anterior portion of shaft; esthes, suffix referring to Astronesthes
Eupogonesthes xenicus Parin & Borodulina 1993 xenikós (Gr. ξενικός), strange or foreign, referring to unique structure of barbel (see genus) and intermediate position of genus between Borostomias and Astronesthes
Heterophotus Regan & Trewavas 1929 héteros (Gr. ἕτερος), different; photus, from phōtō– (Gr. φωτω-), combining form of phṓs (φῶς), light, referring to ventral photophores mostly in linear groups as opposed to in a series spread out along the body
Heterophotus ophistoma Regan & Trewavas 1929 óphis (Gr. ὄφις), serpent; stóma (Gr. στόμα), mouth, referring to “very wide” (and therefore snake-like) cleft of mouth
Neonesthes Regan & Trewavas 1929 néos (Gr. νέος), new; esthes, suffix referring to Astronesthes, i.e., a new genus of Astronesthes
Neonesthes capensis (Gilchrist & von Bonde 1924) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: presumably referring to Cape Town, South Africa, where type locality (Table Bay) is situated
Neonesthes microcephalus Norman 1930 small-headed, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small, and kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to smaller head and mouth compared with N. macrolychnus (=capensis)
Rhadinesthes Regan & Trewavas 1929 rhadinós (Gr. ῥαδινός), slender, lithe or tapering; esthes, suffix referring to Astronesthes, i.e., a “much more elongate” genus compared with others in the subfamily
Rhadinesthes decimus (Zugmayer 1911) Latin for tenth, believed to be the tenth species of its genus (originally Astronesthes) known with any certainty at time of description
Scaleless Black Dragonfishes
Subfamily MELANOSTOMIINAE Parr 1927
Bathophilus Giglioli 1882 bathýs (Gr. βαθύς), deep, and phílos (Gr. φίλος), friend or fond of, referring to deep-sea habitat of B. nigerrimus
Subgenus Bathophilus
Bathophilus abarbatus Barnett & Gibbs 1968 á– (ἄ), Greek privative, not; barbatus (L.), bearded, only known member of genus without a barbel
Bathophilus altipinnis Beebe 1933 altus (L.), high or deep; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, presumably referring to pelvic fins inserted “extremely high” on sides, “about equidistant from dorsal and ventral profiles”
Bathophilus ater (Brauer 1902) Latin for black, referring to body colorations (fins and barbel are white)
Bathophilus cwyanorum Barnett & Gibbs 1968 -orum (L.), commemorative suffix, plural: “the surnames of two very capable colleagues who were largely responsible for the success of the midwater trawling program” that collected holotype in the Indian Ocean, Edward Cwynar (b. 1942) of Hawai‘i and Shigeru Yano, a long-line fisherman (name includes both Cwynar and Yano)
Bathophilus digitatus (Welsh 1923) Latin for having fingers or toes, referring to its having more pectoral-fin rays compared with the similar B. ater
Bathophilus filifer (Garman 1899) filum (L.), thread; –ifer, from fero (L.), to have or bear, presumably referring to single “slender, filamentary” ray of pectoral fin
Bathophilus flemingi Aron & McCrery 1958 in honor of Canadian-born oceanographer Richard H. Fleming (1909–1989), University of Washington (USA), for his contributions to “biological oceanography”
Bathophilus indicus (Brauer 1902) –icus (L.), belonging to: Indian Ocean, where it occurs
Bathophilus irregularis Norman 1930 Latin for irregular, probably referring to the “peculiar” arrangement of its lateral photophores
Bathophilus kingi Barnett & Gibbs 1968 in honor of Joseph E. King (1914–?), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, whose studies of central Pacific midwater fishes resulted in the first known specimens of this species
Bathophilus longipinnis (Pappenheim 1914) longus (L.), long; pinnis, fin, etymology not explained, perhaps referring to its extended pelvic-fin rays, which are said to extend past beginning of anal fin (but subsequent accounts do not show the pelvics reaching this far), or to its having longer fins (which ones not specified) compared with Melanostomias melanops, its presumed congener at the time
Bathophilus metallicus (Welsh 1923) Latin for metallic, referring to its color in alcohol, “head and body dark greenish bronze with bright metallic reflections”
Bathophilus nigerrimus Giglioli 1882 superlative of niger (L.), black or dark, i.e., very black, a “singular fish of deep black colour with small eyes, a naked skin, and a most abyssal physiognomy”
Bathophilus novicki Barnett & Gibbs 1968 in honor of American physician and biologist Alvin Novick (1925–2005), “who taught the senior author how to see in the dark” (Barnett attended Yale University where Novick was a specialist in the sonar systems of bats)
Bathophilus pawneei Parr 1927 named for Pawnee II, yacht (specially designed for deep-sea trawling and research) from which holotype was collected, owned by businessman Harry Payne Bingham (1887–1955), who sponsored expedition and founded the Bingham Oceanographic Collection at Yale University
Bathophilus proximus Regan & Trewavas 1930 Latin for nearest or next, presumably referring to its similarity to B. nigerrimus
Bathophilus schizochirus Regan & Trewavas 1930 schizo-, from schízō (Gr. σχίζω), to part or divide; chirus, from cheirós (Gr. χειρός), genitive of cheír (χείρ), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), referring to its pectoral-fin rays, which comprise two “well-separated” groups
Bathophilus vaillanti (Zugmayer 1911) in honor of French zoologist Léon Vaillant (1834–1914), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris)
Subgenus Notopodichthys Regan & Trewavas 1930 nṓtos (Gr. νῶτος), back, and podós (Gr. ποδός), genitive of πούς, foot (homologous to the pelvic fin), referring to pelvic fins inserted much closer to dorsal than ventral profile; ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish
Bathophilus brevis Regan & Trewavas 1930 Latin for short, referring to much shorter, deeper body compared with congeners
Chirostomias Regan & Trewavas 1930 chiro, from cheirós (Gr. χειρός), genitive of cheír (χείρ), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), presumably referring to its pectoral fins, “far forward and close together; sixth ray longest, sometimes more than twice as long as head, with a club-shaped luminous swelling”; Stomias, type genus of family
Chirostomias pliopterus Regan & Trewavas 1930 plio, from pleíōn (Gr. πλείων), more; pterus, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, possibly referring to presence of small adipose fin, unique in family
Echiostoma Lowe 1843 échis (Gr. ἔχις), viper or adder; stóma (Gr. στόμα), mouth, presumably referring to snake-like appearance of wide mouth cleft and/or fang-like teeth
Echiostoma barbatum Lowe 1843 Latin for bearded, referring to its chin barbel, “thick or broad and subcartilaginous, equalling in length the depth of the head”
Eustomias Vaillant 1884 eū́– (Gr. εὖ), an intensive prefix, e.g., good, well or very, said by Vaillant (1888) to mean “tout à fait,” a French term that means absolutely, exactly or completely; stomías (Gr. στομίας), a hard-mouthed horse but often used for any large-mouthed animal, probably referring to jaws of E. obscurus “strongly armed with teeth” (translation) and/or its affinity to Stomias, type genus of family
Subgenus Eustomias
Eustomias obscurus Vaillant 1884 Latin for dark, referring to its “deep velvety black” (translation) coloration per Vaillant (1888)
Subgenus Biradiostomias Gomon & Gibbs 1985 bi-, from bis (L.), twice, and radius (L.) ray, referring to two separate pectoral-fin rays, characteristic of the subgenus; Stomias, nominate genus
Eustomias brevibarbatus Parr 1927 brevis (L.), short; barbatus (L.), bearded, referring to its short barbel, 33% longer than head or less
Eustomias contiguus Gomon & Gibbs 1985 Latin for adjacent or bordering, referring to two juxtaposed bulbs near end of barbel
Eustomias digitatus Gomon & Gibbs 1985 Latin for having fingers or toes, referring to long projections from barbel bulb
Eustomias dispar Gomon & Gibbs 1985 Latin for unlike or dissimilar, referring to contrasting shapes of terminal barbel bulbs
Eustomias dubius Parr 1927 Latin for doubtful or uncertain, allusion not explained (described from one specimen with lower jaw “torn away”)
Eustomias globulifer Regan & Trewavas 1930 globus (L.), ball or sphere; –ifer, from fero (L.), to have or bear, presumably referring to “small oval bulb” on barbel
Eustomias hulleyi Gomon & Gibbs 1985 in honor of colleague and shipmate Percy Alexander Hulley (b. 1941), Curator of Fishes, Iziko South African Museum, “who so appreciated the shapes and colors of Eustomias [barbel] bulbs”
Eustomias hypopsilus Gomon & Gibbs 1985 hypó (Gr. ὑπό), less than, under or beneath; psilós (Gr. ψιλός), bare, uncovered or smooth, referring to absence, or virtual absence, of filaments on barbel bulbs
Eustomias ignotus Gomon & Gibbs 1985 Latin for unknown, referring to its uncertain taxonomic status (with growth, elongate barbel bulb of E. leptobolus could divide in two, making the two species difficult to distinguish)
Eustomias ioani Parin & Pokhil’skaya 1974 in honor of IOAN, acronym for Institut Okeanologii Akademii Nauk (Institute of Oceanology, Academy of Sciences of the USSR), which published the description and where the authors worked
Eustomias leptobolus Regan & Trewavas 1930 leptós (Gr. λεπτός), thin or slender; bṓlos (Gr. βῶλος), lump or morsel, referring to elongate barbel bulb
Eustomias macrophthalmus Parr 1927 big-eyed, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and ophthalmós (Gr. ὀφθαλμός), eye, referring to its “very large” eyes, diameter ~1/4 length of head
Eustomias micropterygius Parr 1927 micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; pterygius, from pterygion, diminutive of ptéryx (Gr. πτέρυξ), wing or fin, referring to “very small” paired fins, the ventrals less than half length of head
Eustomias metamelas Gomon & Gibbs 1985 metá (Gr. μετά), between; mélas (Gr. μέλας), black, referring to darkly pigmented axis between barbel bulbs
Eustomias polyaster Parr 1927 polý (Gr. πολύ), many; astḗr (Gr. ἀστήρ), star, presumably referring to three or more conspicuous luminous bodies (bulbs) on barbel
Eustomias precarius Gomon & Gibbs 1985 Latin for uncertain, referring to the “uncertainty involved in basing a new species on a single specimen” (E. hulleyi, pyrifer and xenobolus resemble this species in one way or another)
Eustomias pyrifer Regan & Trewavas 1930 pyrum (Medieval Latin), pear; –ifer, from fera (L.), to have or bear, referring to pear-shaped barbel bulb
Eustomias quadrifilis Gomon & Gibbs 1985 quadri-, from quattuor (L.), four; filis (scientific Neo-Latin), thread-like or filiform, referring to two pairs of filaments at end of barbel
Eustomias schiffi Beebe 1932 in memory of American banker Mortimer L. Schiff (1877–1931), “whose interest in the work of this expedition [to Bermuda] was very deep and sincere”
Eustomias securicula Prokofiev & Orlov 2022 diminutive of securis (L.), hatchet, i.e., a small hatchet, referring to characteristic shape of barbel bulb, narrowed ventrally, with a sharp lower edge
Eustomias variabilis Regan & Trewavas 1930 Latin for variable, referring to distal bulb of barbel, which is either elongate, ovate or pear-shaped
Eustomias xenobolus Regan & Trewavas 1930 xeno-, from xenikós (Gr. ξενικός), strange or foreign (i.e., different); bṓlos (Gr. βῶλος), lump or morsel, referring to barbel bulb divided into a proximal slender half and a broadly rounded distal half
Subgenus Dinematochirus Regan & Trewavas 1930 di– (Gr. prefix), from dýo (δύο), two; nḗmatos (Gr. νήματος), threaded; chirus, from cheirós (Gr. χειρός), genitive of cheír (χείρ), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), referring to two pectoral rays on most species (authors did not mention that these rays are closely bound together in a black membrane)
Eustomias achirus Parin & Pokhil’skaya 1974 á– (ἄ), Greek privative, without; chirus, from cheirós (Gr. χειρός), genitive of cheír (χείρ), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), referring to absence of pectoral-fin rays
Eustomias aequatorialis Clarke 1998 Neo-Latin for equatorial, referring to its occurrence in the eastern equatorial Atlantic
Eustomias albibulbus Clarke 2001 albus (L.), white; bulbus, from bolbós (Gr. βολβός), bulb, referring to completely unpigmented barbel bulb
Eustomias bigelowi Welsh 1923 in honor of marine biologist Henry B. Bigelow (1879–1967), Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University
Eustomias binghami Parr 1927 in honor of American businessman and philanthropist Harry Payne Bingham (1887–1955), who sponsored expedition that collected holotype and founded the Bingham Oceanographic Collection at Yale University
Eustomias borealis Clarke 2000 Latin for northern, referring to its distribution in the western North Atlantic north of 30N
Eustomias bulbiramis Clarke 2001 bulbus, from bolbós (Gr. βολβός), bulb; ramis (L.), branch, referring to similar bulblets on all three branches of barbel
Eustomias cryptobulbus Clarke 2001 cryptos, from kryptόs (Gr. κρυπτός), hidden; bulbus, from bolbós (Gr. βολβός), bulb, referring to terminal bulb of barbel partially hidden by dorsal pigment patch and semi-opaque sheath
Eustomias curtifilis Clarke 2000 curtus (L.), short; filis (scientific Neo-Latin), thread-like or filiform, referring to “short and simple” terminal filaments
Eustomias danae Clarke 2001 in honor of the Danish fishery research vessel Dana, “whose collections continue to advance knowledge of pelagic organisms and provided the only confirmed specimens of this species”
Eustomias dendriticus Regan & Trewavas 1930 Latin for branching (adjective), referring to branch of barbel stem, which in turn comprises several secondary branches
Eustomias dendrobium Koeda & Ho 2019 Dendrobium, genus of orchids, referring to branches of chin barbel with many dendritic appendages of tiny luminous swellings, resembling the flowers of an orchid
Eustomias dinema Clarke 1999 di– (Gr. prefix), from dýo (δύο), two; nḗma (Gr. νῆμα), thread or yarn, referring to pair of simple, thread-like filaments near end of barbel
Eustomias elongatus Clarke 2001 Latin for prolonged, referring to elongate terminal bulb of barbel, the “relatively longest barbel” known within the subgenus
Eustomias fissibarbis (Pappenheim 1912) fissus (L.), cloven (i.e., split in two); barbis (scientific Neo-Latin), barbel, referring to how barbel bifurcates into two equally strong branches
Eustomias flagellifer Clarke 2001 flagellum, diminutive of flagrum (L.), whip; –ifer, from fera (L.), to have or bear, referring to whip-like branches off main stem of barbel
Eustomias insularum Clarke 1998 Latin for of islands, referring to its occurrence near the Cape Verde Islands
Eustomias intermedius Clarke 1998 Latin for intermediate, referring to branches of barbel, intermediate in relative length between long-branched species (E. achirus, aequatorialis, tomentosis) and short-branched species (E. insularum, woollardi)
Eustomias interruptus Clarke 1999 Latin for interrupted, referring to break in stem pigment between branch and bulb of barbel
Eustomias lanceolatus Clarke 1999 Latin for lance-like, referring to lancet-like swelling on branch of barbel
Eustomias lipochirus Regan & Trewavas 1930 lipo-, from leípō (Gr. λείπω), lacking or wanting; cheirós (Gr. χειρός), genitive of cheír (χείρ), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), referring to absence of pectoral fins
Eustomias longiramis Clarke 2001 longus (L.), long; ramis (L.), branch, referring to “extremely long” medial branch of barbel
Eustomias macronema Regan & Trewavas 1930 makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; nḗma (Gr. νῆμα), thread or yarn, referring to “long and stout” terminal filament of barbel stem
Eustomias magnificus Clarke 2001 Latin for great, referring to “large and ornate” terminal bulb with numerous branches
Eustomias minimus Clarke 1999 Latin for least, referring to “shortness, slimness, and simplicity” of its barbel’s branch and terminal filaments
Eustomias monoclonoides Clarke 1999 –oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: referring to similarity of bulb shape and pigmentation to those of E. monoclonus
Eustomias monoclonus Regan & Trewavas 1930 mono-, from mónos (Gr. μόνος), one or single; clonus, from chlóē (Gr. χλόη), twig, grass, or first green shoot of plants in spring, referring to one slender, simple branch of barbel stem
Eustomias natalisa Prokofiev 2020 a coined name without significance; Prokofiev (pers. comm.) had grown weary of finding available, unique yet suitable names for such a diverse genus, so he opted to coin an arbitrary name instead, one that sounded nice to the ear
Eustomias parini Clarke 2001 in honor of ichthyologist Nikolai Vasil’evich Parin (1932–2012), Russian Academy of Sciences, who collected half the known specimens of this species, for his contributions to the biology of mesopelagic fishes
Eustomias paucifilis Parr 1927 paucus (L.), few or scanty; filis (scientific Neo-Latin), thread-like or filiform, proposed as a subspecies of E. bigelowi, presumably referring to fewer (4) filaments at end of barbel compared to the nominate form (7)
Eustomias paxtoni Clarke 2001 in honor of American-born Australian ichthyologist John R. Paxton (1938–2023), Australian Museum (Sydney), for contributions to the knowledge of pelagic fishes
Eustomias pinnatus Clarke 1999 Latin for winged or feathered, referring to pinnate pattern of side filaments on terminal filaments of barbel
Eustomias problematicus Clarke 2001 from problēmatikós (Gr. προβληματικός), problematical, referring to the “initial enigma posed” by the short branches of its barbel; variability in their relative lengths “may well reflect damage undetectable in these tiny structures”
Eustomias satterleei Beebe 1933 in honor of American lawyer Herbert L. Satterlee (1863–1947), a patron of the New York Zoological Society, where Beebe worked
Eustomias schmidti Regan & Trewavas 1930 in honor of Danish biologist Johannes Schmidt (1877–1933), who led the Dana fishery research cruise that collected holotype
Eustomias silvescens Regan & Trewavas 1930 silva-, from sylva (L.), wood or forest; –escens (L.), becoming, presumably referring to three tree-like filamentous branches at end of barbel, some of which are beaded or bear oval bulbs on short stalks
Eustomias similis Parin 1978 Latin for like or similar, referring to its similarity to “some species, e.g., E. fissibarbus” (translation)
Eustomias tomentosis Clarke 1998 Latin for having a mass of rough hairs, referring to numerous hair-like filaments on branches of barbel
Eustomias triramis Regan & Trewavas 1930 tri– (L.), three; ramis (L.), branch, referring to three relatively simple branches arising from stem of barbel
Eustomias uniramis Clarke 1999 uni-, from unus (L.), one; ramis (L.), branch, referring to single, mostly unadorned branch of barbel
Eustomias vulgaris Clarke 2001 Latin for common or simple, referring to its branchless barbel
Eustomias woollardi Clarke 1998 in honor of the late George P. Woollard (1908–1979), who, as director of the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics, “had a vision that extended well beyond his own discipline and did much to foster growth of all aspects of oceanography in the Pacific”
Eustomias zygolampas Prokofiev 2019 zygón (Gr. ζυγόν), yoke, but here meaning a pair; lampás (Gr. λαμπάς), lamp, i.e., a paired lamp, referring to three appendages of barbel trunk, each of which carries a pair of luminous bulbs
Subgenus Furcostomias Prokofiev 2018 furca (L.), two-pronged fork, referring to stem of chin barbel bifurcate in the middle; Stomias, type genus of family
Eustomias crucis Gibbs & Craddock 1973 genitive of crux (L.), cross (wooden frame for execution), referring to the Southern Cross, “the constellation that watches over the waters inhabited by this fish” (i.e., Southeastern Pacific)
Eustomias diplomastiga Prokofiev 2018 diplo-, from diplóos (Gr. διπλόος) or diploū́s (διπλοῦς), twofold or double; mástiga (Gr. μάστιγα), accusative of mástix (Gr. μάστιξ), whip, referring to very long chin barbel that divides in the middle into two main branches
Subgenus Haploclonus Regan & Trewavas 1930 haplós (Gr. ἁπλός), single or simple; clonus, from chlóē (Gr. χλόη), twig, grass, or first green shoot of plants in spring, referring to barbel with a “simple tapering branch proximal to bulb”
Eustomias acinosus Regan & Trewavas 1930 Latin for grape-like, referring to appendage on distal half of barbel bulb that resembles a bunch of grapes
Eustomias antea Villarins, Fischer, Prokofiev & Mincarone 2023 named for Antea, the research vessel of the French oceanographic fleet, which conducts many deep-sea exploratory surveys around the world, including the ABRACOS (Acoustics along the BRAzilian COaSt) expedition during which holotype was collected
Eustomias bifilis Gibbs 1960 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; filis (scientific Neo-Latin), thread-like or filiform, referring to main stem of barbel branching into a separate stem with distal bulb and branched terminal filament
Eustomias enbarbatus Welsh 1923 en-, presumably an intensive prefix, i.e., very; barbatus (L.), bearded, “calling attention” to its “remarkable” barbel: “long, filamentous, an ovoid bulb at tip; near the base of this bulb arises a long filament containing at intervals yellowish ovoid bodies; from the distal portion of the bulb arise five short filaments, four of which are simple, two of them containing ovoid bodies; the fifth terminates in an ovoid body from which spring two longer filaments, tridentlike, both of which bifurcate; each of these latter contains in its proximal half several yellow bodies, the distal half being threadlike”
Eustomias lucenae Villarins, Fischer, Prokofiev & Mincarone 2023 in honor of Flávia Lucena-Frédou, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (Brazil), for her “tireless efforts in supervising and supporting many students in the field of marine biology and conservation”
Eustomias mavka Prokofiev 2018 a type of female spirit in scary Russian fairy tales, usually the souls of girls who had died unnatural, tragic or premature deaths, referring to the fact that stomiids are scary-looking fishes for people who don’t appreciate or understand them (Prokofiev, pers. comm.)
Eustomias simplex Regan & Trewavas 1930 Latin for simple or uncomplicated, referring to barbel “ending in a simple oblong bulb”
Eustomias stamen Koeda & Ho 2019 botanical term for pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower, referring to simple, thin, stamen-like appendage of branch arising near base of terminal chin-barbel bulb
Eustomias trewavasae Norman 1930 in honor of British ichthyologist Ethelwynn Trewavas (1900–1993), British Museum of Natural History, for her work on the stomiid fishes of the Dana Expedition
Subgenus Neostomias Gilchrist 1906 néos (Gr. νέος), new, proposed as a new genus very close to Eustomias
Eustomias filifer (Gilchrist 1906) filum (L.), thread; –ifer, from fera (L.), to have or bear, presumably referring to its pectoral fins, which are “reduced (apparently) to single filaments”
Eustomias jimcraddocki Sutton & Hartel 2004 in honor of James E. Craddock (1937–2009), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, for his many contributions to our knowledge of deep-sea fishes
Eustomias monodactylus Regan & Trewavas 1930 mono-, from mónos (Gr. μόνος), one or single; dáktylos (Gr. δάκτυλος), finger, referring to one pectoral-fin ray
Eustomias tetranema Zugmayer 1913 tetrá (Gr. τετρά), four; nḗma (Gr. νῆμα), thread or yarn, referring to four filaments (three branches and one main stem) at end of barbel
Subgenus Nominostomias Regan & Trewavas 1930 etymology not explained and allusion not evident, possibly nomino (L.), to call by name, perhaps a nominal (existing or being something in name only) genus of Stomias (or nominal subgenus of Eustomias)
Eustomias appositus Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 Latin for contiguous, referring to contiguous terminal bulbs of barbel
Eustomias arborifer Parr 1927 arbor (L.), fig-tree (but often used to mean a tree in general); –ifer, from fera (L.), to have or bear, referring to “richly branched” terminal appendage of barbel, “more or less filled with strings of microscopical bodies of luminous tissue”
Eustomias australensis Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Australia, known only from the Tasman Sea off southeastern Australia
Eustomias austratlanticus Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 -icus (L. suffix), belonging to: auster (L.), the south wind, referring to its occurrence in the South Atlantic Ocean
Eustomias bertelseni Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 in honor of Danish ichthyologist Erik Bertelsen (1912–1993), for his contributions to deep-sea biology and his long service to ichthyologists, especially those who have worked with the Dana Expedition collections under his care
Eustomias bertrandi Villarins, Fischer, Prokofiev & Mincarone 2023 in honor of Arnaud Bertrand, Senior Researcher at the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (France), for his “commitment, enthusiasm, and leadership” in conducting the ABRACOS (Acoustics along the BRAzilian COaSt) expeditions and many other marine biology-related projects
Eustomias bibulboides Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: E. bibulbosus, both of which possess a “similarly simple” barbel filament
Eustomias bibulbosus Parr 1927 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; bulbosus (L.), bulbous, referring to two conspicuous luminous bodies (bulbs) on barbel
Eustomias bimargaritatus Regan & Trewavas 1930 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; margaritatus (L.), adorned with pearls, presumably referring to two bulbs on barbel
Eustomias bimargaritoides Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: E. bimarginatus, referring to the similarity of their terminal barbel filaments
Eustomias bituberatus Regan & Trewavas 1930 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; tuberatus (L.), covered with knobs, referring to two bulbs on barbel, “the distal the larger, separated by a distance greater than the diameter of either”
Eustomias bituberoides Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 –oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: E. bituberatus, referring to the “similarly very long” barbel of both species
Eustomias bulbornatus Gibbs 1960 bulbus (L.), a swelling; ornatus (L.), decorated or adorned, referring to single terminal bulb bearing an ornate assemblage of terminal appendages
Eustomias cancriensis Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: along the Tropic of Cancer, where it occurs
Eustomias cirritus Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 Latin for having filaments, referring to delicate filaments at end of barbel
Eustomias crossotus Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 krossōtós (Gr. κροσσωτός), tasseled or fringed, referring to branched filament of barbel
Eustomias curtatus Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 Latin for shortened, referring to short barbel and “diminutive projection” of its single terminal bulb
Eustomias deofamiliaris Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 deus (L.), a god; familiaris (L.), of a house or household (but used here to mean “knowing intimately”), an “allusion to the fact that we mortals are uncertain whether this specimen represents a valid species or a wildly different anomalous condition of some other species,” i.e., only God knows if this species is really a species
Eustomias gibbsi Johnson & Rosenblatt 1971 in honor of American ichthyologist Robert H. Gibbs, Jr. (1929–1988), for his many contributions to the biology and systematics of stomiatoid fishes
Eustomias grandibulbus Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 grandis (L.), large; bulbus, from bolbós (Gr. βολβός), bulb, referring to large distal bulb of barbel
Eustomias inconstans Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 Latin for variable or inconsistent, referring to the variable presence or absence of a second terminal bulb on barbel
Eustomias kreffti Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 in honor of German ichthyologist Gerhard Krefft (1912–1993), Institut für Seefischerei (Hamburg), “whose scientific contributions have enriched our knowledge, and whose inspiration and leadership of the ‘Walther Herwig’ expeditions and sharing of the resulting materials have revolutionized studies of the systematics and zoogeography of deep-sea fishes”
Eustomias kukuevi Prokofiev 2018 in honor of Russian ichthyologist Efim Izrailevich Kukuev (1947–2022, also spelled Kukujev and Kukuyev), Atlantic Scientific Research Institute of Marine Fisheries & Oceanography (AtlantNIRO), associate, friend and occasional coauthor, who has made a “large contribution” (translation) to the study of mesobathypelagic fishes of the Atlantic Ocean
Eustomias longibarba Parr 1927 longus (L.), long; barba (L.), beard, referring to its “very long” barbel, ~2/3 length of body
Eustomias medusa Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 named for Medusa, one of the three Gorgons in Greek mythology, with living snakes in place of hair, name of a gorgon with snaky locks, referring to the numerous filaments arising from its distal barbel bulb
Eustomias melanonema Regan & Trewavas 1930 mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; nḗma (Gr. νῆμα), thread or yarn, referring to six “pigmented” filaments that arise together, but separately, from end of distal barbel bulb
Eustomias melanostigma Regan & Trewavas 1930 mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; stígma (Gr. στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to spot of pigment at base of distal barbel bulb
Eustomias melanostigmoides Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 –oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: E. melanostigma, referring to the “basic similarity” of their barbels
Eustomias mesostenus Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 mésos (Gr. μέσος), middle; sténos (Gr. στένος), narrow, referring to terminal barbel bulb, which is constricted in the middle
Eustomias micraster Parr 1927 mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; astḗr (Gr. ἀστήρ), star, presumably referring to “whitish” luminous bodies on barbel, with “scattered, microscopical dots” on terminal filament
Eustomias multifilis Parin & Pokhil’skaya 1978 multi– (L.), many; filis (scientific Neo-Latin), thread-like or filiform, referring to multiple filaments or appendages at terminal bulb of barbel
Eustomias ophioglossa Villarins, Fischer, Prokofiev & Mincarone 2023 óphis (Gr. ὄφις), serpent; glṓssa (Gr. γλῶσσα), tongue, referring to terminal filament splitting at the tip
Eustomias orientalis Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 Latin for eastern, referring to its distribution in the part of world known as the Orient (from the westernmost Pacific north of New Guinea to Suruga Bay, Japan)
Eustomias pacificus Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 –icus (L.), belonging to: Pacific Ocean, where it is endemic
Eustomias patulus Regan & Trewavas 1930 Latin for open, spread out or broad, presumably referring to branched terminal filament at end of barbel
Eustomias perplexus Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 Latin for interwoven, entangled or intricate (authors say puzzling), referring to its “perplexing combination” of characters of E. longibarba and E. curtatus
Eustomias posti Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 in honor of German zoologist Alfred Post (b. 1935), Institut für Seefischerei (Hamburg), for his contributions to the knowledge of deep-sea fishes and his continuing services to the ichthyological community
Eustomias robertsi Stewart, Kenaley & Sutton 2024 in honor of Clive Roberts (b. 1952), former Curator of Fishes at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa; he “conceived, secured funding for, and directed a 20-year project to describe the fish fauna of New Zealand, culminating in publication of the award-winning multi-volume 2,000 page The Fishes of New Zealand” (2015)
Eustomias spherulifer Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 spherula (L.), little sphere or ball; –ifer, from fera (L.), to have or bear, referring to spherical or granular inclusions in distal half of barbel stem
Eustomias suluensis Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Sulu Sea, off the Philippine Islands, type locality
Eustomias teuthidopsis Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 teuthidos (Gr. τευθῐ́δος), genitive of teuthís (τευθίς), squid; ópsis (Gr. ὄψις), appearance, referring to terminal filaments of barbel, which resemble the arms and enlarged pair of tentacles of a squid
Eustomias tritentaculatus Koeda & Ho 2019 tri– (L.), three; tentaculatus (L.), with feelers (i.e., small tentacles), referring to three terminal filaments of chin barbel
Eustomias vitiazi Parin & Pokhil’skaya 1974 in honor of the research vessel Vitiaz (also spelled Vityaz), from which holotype was collected
Subgenus Rhynchostomias) Regan & Trewavas 1930 rhýnchos (Gr. ῥύγχος), snout, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “somewhat swollen filament” at end of barbel bulb; Stomias, type genus of family (or an abridgement of Eustomias)
Eustomias parri Regan & Trewavas 1930 in honor of Norwegian-born marine biologist Albert Eide Parr (1900–1991), for his work on the Bingham Collection of marine fishes, which included several stomiids
Subgenus Spilostomias Regan & Trewavas 1930 spílos (Gr. σπίλος), mark or spot, referring to small white spots above and below lateral photophores; Stomias, type genus of family (or an abridgement of Eustomias)
Eustomias braueri Zugmayer 1911 in honor of German zoologist August Brauer (1863–1917), Berlin Zoological Museum, at that time one of the world’s leading authorities on deep-sea fishes
Subgenus Urostomias Regan & Trewavas 1930 uro, from ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to long tail of E. macrurus; Stomias, type genus of family (or an abridgement of Eustomias)
Eustomias macrurus Regan & Trewavas 1930 large-tailed, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and urus, from ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tai, referring to its long tail (posterior portion of body is relatively elongate)
Eustomias mikhailini Prokofiev 2020 in honor of Russian ichthyologist Sergey Vladimirovich Mikhailin (1943–1981), member of 1976 R/V Fiolent cruise during which holotype was collected, and who mentioned this species in his report [biographical footnote: Mikhailin died while saving people from a burning train]
Eustomias shunyo Kimura, Tsuda & Nakayama 2023 named for the FRV (Fishery Research Vessel) Shunyo-maru, which collected the type specimens
Subgenus Triclonostomias Regan & Trewavas 1930 tri– (L.), three and clonus, from chlóē (Gr. χλόη), twig, grass, or first green shoot of plants in spring, referring to three branches that arise from barbel stem before bulb; Stomias, type genus of family (or an abridgement of Eustomias)
Eustomias decoratus Gibbs 1971 Latin for adorned or embellished, referring to its “spectacular” barbel (with yellow bulbs in freshly caught specimens and multiple branches and filaments)
Eustomias drechseli Regan & Trewavas 1930 in honor of Commodore Christian Frederik “Frits” Drechsel (1854–1927), President of the Dana Committee for the Study of the Sea, which managed Dana Expedition that collected the stomiiform species the authors described
Eustomias furcifer Regan & Trewavas 1930 furca (L.), two-pronged fork; –ifer, from fera (L.), to have or bear, referring to forked median branch of barbel stem
Eustomias kikimora Prokofiev 2015 named for Kikimora, “petty forest evil spirits of Russian fairy tales” (translation), because melanostomiins are “somewhat terrible in appearance” (Prokofiev, pers. comm.)
Eustomias radicifilis Borodin 1930 radicis, genitive singular of radix (L.), root; filis (scientific Neo-Latin), thread-like or filiform, referring to several long filaments on barbel, “some of them ending in minute bulbs resembling those on plant roots”
Eustomias tenisoni Regan & Trewavas 1930 in honor of Lt.-Col. William Percival Cosnahan Tenison (1884–1983), British Army officer who was also a painter and scientific illustrator, whose “accurate and artistic drawings” are reproduced as plates in the authors’ monograph
Flagellostomias Parr 1927 flagellum, diminutive of flagrum (L.), whip, perhaps referring to its “isolated and strongly produced” pectoral-fin ray; Stomias, type genus family
Flagellostomias boureei (Zugmayer 1913) in honor of Lt. Henri Bourée (1873–?), French naval officer and aide-de-camp to Albert Honoré Charles Grimaldi (1848–1922), Albert I, Prince of Monaco, who founded his country’s Institut Océanographique, which published this fish’s description
Grammatostomias Goode & Bean 1896 grámmatos (Gr. γράμματος), genitive singular of grámma (Gr. γράμμα), that which is written or drawn (but here meaning line), referring to series of pigment cells along median line of body of G. dentatus, “so arranged as to simulate a lateral line”; Stomias, type genus of family
Grammatostomias circularis Morrow 1959 Latin for round, referring to nearly circular shape of lateral loop of luminous tissue on sides above lateral row of serial photophores
Grammatostomias dentatus Goode & Bean 1896 Latin for toothed, presumably referring to its “fang-like” teeth
Grammatostomias flagellibarba Holt & Byrne 1910 flagellum, diminutive of flagrum (L.), whip; barba (L.), beard, referring to its long and slender barbel, about six times as long as body
Grammatostomias ovatus Prokofiev 2014 Latin for egg-shaped (i.e., oval), referring to typical ring-shaped pattern of luminous tissue on sides
Leptostomias Gilbert 1905 leptós (Gr. λεπτός), thin or slender, referring to “extremely elongate” body of L. macronema; Stomias, type genus of family
Leptostomias analis Regan & Trewavas 1930 Latin for anal, referring to more anal-fin rays (28) compared to congeners at time of description
Leptostomias bermudensis Beebe 1932 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: 7.5 miles southeast of Nonsuch Island, Bermuda, type locality
Leptostomias bilobatus (Koefoed 1956) bi-, from bis (L.), twice; lobatus (L.), lobed, referring to terminal barbel bulb divided into two lobes furnished with filaments
Leptostomias gladiator (Zugmayer 1911) a nickname for the English Bulldog; Zugmayer said its large head, with its flattened snout and prominent teeth, resembled the head of a “bouledogue”
Leptostomias gracilis Regan & Trewavas 1930 Latin for thin or slender, referring to its elongate body, body depth about 13 times in the length
Leptostomias haplocaulus Regan & Trewavas 1930 haplós (Gr. ἁπλός), single or simple; caulus (Late Latin), stem, referring to stem of barbel “without filaments or appendages”
Leptostomias leptobolus Regan & Trewavas 1930 leptós (Gr. λεπτός), thin or slender; bṓlos (Gr. βῶλος), lump or morsel, referring to elongate bulb of barbel
Leptostomias longibarba Regan & Trewavas 1930 longus (L.), long; barba (L.), beard, referring to long barbel, nearly as long as the fish itself
Leptostomias macronema Gilbert 1905 makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; nḗma (Gr. νῆμα), thread or yarn, referring to its long barbel (here called a “gular filament”), 60% of body length
Leptostomias macropogon Norman 1930 makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; pṓgōn (Gr. πώγων), beard, referring to long barbel, nearly 75% total length
Leptostomias multifilis Imai 1941 multi– (L.), many; filis (scientific Neo-Latin), thread-like or filiform, presumably referring to numerous short filaments on distal half of barbel bulb
Leptostomias robustus Imai 1941 Latin for of oak or oaken and, by extension, hard, firm or solid (but often used by ichthyologists to mean fat or stout), probably referring to middle section of body, deeper than that of L. multifilis, described in the same paper
Melanostomias Brauer 1902 mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black, referring to overall black coloration of M. melanops and M. valdiviae; Stomias, type genus of family
Melanostomias bartonbeani Parr 1927 in honor of Barton A. Bean (1860–1947), Assistant Curator of Fishes, United States National Museum, where he worked with his brother, ichthyologist Tarleton H. Bean, and where Parr discovered the holotype
Melanostomias biseriatus Regan & Trewavas 1930 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; seriatus (L.), in a row, referring to two rows of “white luminous bodies” on distal half of barbel
Melanostomias dio Villarins, Fischer, Prokofiev & Mincarone 2023 in honor of the late Ronald James Padavona (1942–2010), professionally known as Ronnie James Dio, a heavy metal vocalist who popularized the hand gesture commonly referred to as “horns up,” which resembles the shape of the terminal bulb on the chin barbel of this species
Melanostomias globulifer Fowler 1934 globulus, diminutive of globus (L.), round mass or ball; –ifer, from fera (L.), to have or bear, referring to two sets of “globular or ovoid white bodies” along “median axis or midrib” of barbel
Melanostomias macrophotus Regan & Trewavas 1930 makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; photus, from phōtō– (Gr. φωτω-), combining form of phṓs (φῶς), light, referring to large luminous bulb at end of barbel
Melanostomias margaritifer Regan & Trewavas 1930 margarita (L.), pearl; –ifer, from fera (L.), to have or bear, i.e., pearly, presumably referring to luminous bulb, described as a “large oval white body,” on distal half of barbel stem
Melanostomias melanopogon Regan & Trewavas 1930 mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; pṓgōn (Gr. πώγων), beard, referring to barbel in adults, which is “black right up to the bulb, except for a white spot near proximal end of swollen point”
Melanostomias melanops Brauer 1902 mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye or face (i.e., appearance), referring to velvety black body coloration and/or black iris
Melanostomias niger Gilchrist & von Bonde 1924 Latin for dark or black, referring to its color
Melanostomias nigroaxialis Parin & Pokhil’skaya 1978 nigro-, from niger (L.), dark or black; axialis (scientific Neo-Latin), of the axis, referring to black pigmentation of entire barbel axis (compared with partial pigmentation of M. melanops)
Melanostomias paucilaternatus Parin & Pokhil’skaya 1978 -atus (L.), provided with: paucus (L.), few or scanty, and laterna (L.), lantern, lamp or torch, referring to single luminous bulb in expanded part of barbel
Melanostomias pauciradius Matsubara 1938 paucus (L.), few or scanty; radius (L.), ray, referring to fewer pectoral-fin rays compared to “allied species”
Melanostomias pollicifer Parin & Pokhil’skaya 1978 pollicis, genitive singular of pollux (L.), thumb; –ifer, from fera (L.), to have or bear, referring to how tip of barbel stem covers terminal bulb the way a thumb covers a fist
Melanostomias spilorhynchus Regan & Trewavas 1930 spílos (Gr. σπίλος), mark or spot; rhynchus, from rhýnchos (Gr. ῥύγχος), snout (i.e., jaw), referring to bluish-white spot on middle of snout
Melanostomias stewarti Fowler 1934 in honor of zoologist Norman H. Stewart (d. 1970), Bucknell University (Pennsylvania, USA), who “furnished [Fowler] with ichthyological material”
Melanostomias tentaculatus (Regan & Trewavas 1930) –atus (L.), provided with: tentacule (L.), feeler, i.e., small tentacle, referring to barbel with a “terminal fringe of 7 to 10 minute filaments”
Melanostomias valdiviae Brauer 1902 of the Valdivia Expedition (1898–99), named for the research vessel Valdivia, the first German expedition to explore the deep sea, during which type was collected
Melanostomias vierecki Fowler 1934 in honor of the late Henry L. Viereck (1881–1831), American entomologist who specialized in Hymenoptera, to whom Fowler was “indebted” for collections of fishes
Odontostomias Norman 1930 odontos, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, possibly referring to how fangs of lower jaw, unlike Opostomias, do not perforate premaxillaries when mouth is closed; Stomias, type genus of family
Odontostomias masticopogon Norman 1930 mastico-, from mástix (Gr. μάστιξ), whip; pṓgōn (Gr. πώγων), beard, referring to long barbel, 1-1/3 times length of fish
Odontostomias micropogon Norman 1930 mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; pṓgōn (Gr. πώγων), beard, referring to small barbel, 1/4 to 2/3 length of head
Opostomias Günther 1887 opós (Gr. ὀπός), genitive of óps (ὄψ), eye, referring to luminous organ above maxillary, small and round “like a rudimentary eye” and/or to other numerous “eye-like” luminous organs on O. micripnus; Stomias, type genus of family
Opostomias micripnus (Günther 1878) mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; ipnós (Gr. ἰπνός), lantern, referring to luminous organs, which, according to Günther 1887, “appear as innumerable minute tubercles more or less raised above the surface of the skin,” covering sides of body
Opostomias mitsuii Imai 1941 in honor of Takanaga Mitsui (1892–1962), founder, Mitsui Institute of Marine Biology, for “affording [Imai] the facility of the study”
Pachystomias Günther 1887 pachýs (Gr. παχύς), thick, presumably referring to head of P. microdon, “enveloped in rather thick skin”; Stomias, type genus of family
Pachystomias microdon (Günther 1878) mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, referring to its “rather small” teeth
Photonectes Günther 1887 phōtō– (Gr. φωτω-), combining form of phṓs (φῶς), light, probably referring to suborbital phosphorescent organ, and two series of luminous dots along lower part of sides, with numerous rudimentary similar organs scattered over skin of body; nḗktēs (Gr. νήκτης), swimmer
Subgenus Photonectes
Photonectes achirus Regan & Trewavas 1930 á– (ἄ), Greek privative, without; cheirós (Gr. χειρός), genitive of cheír (χείρ), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), referring to absence of pectoral fins (a diagnostic feature of subgenus)
Photonectes albipennis (Döderlein 1882) albus (L.), white; pennis, Neo-Latin adjective of penna, fin, referring to “opaque white” (translation) anal and caudal fins
Photonectes banshee Koeda & Ho 2019 named for female spirit in Irish mythology meaning “keening fairy or female” in Old Irish, referring to series of blue luminous tissue on ventral side of body that resemble the tears of the keening fairy
Photonectes barnetti Klepadlo 2011 in honor of the late Michael Barnett (1945–1988), American marine biologist, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, who collected holotype in 1971 and recognized it as a new species
Photonectes braueri (Zugmayer 1913) in honor of German zoologist August Brauer (1863–1917), Berlin Zoological Museum, at that time one of the world’s leading authorities on deep-sea fishes
Photonectes caerulescens Regan & Trewavas 1930 Latin for bluish, referring to “luminous blue” mid-ventral stripe from chest to pelvics and small patches of blue luminous tissue on sides of isthmus, under lower jaw, and above end of maxillary
Photonectes coffea Klepadlo 2011 from Coffea arabica, the dominant cultivar of coffee, referring to shape of terminal chin-barbel bulb, which resembles a coffee bean
Photonectes cornutus Beebe 1933 Latin for horned, allusion not explained, possibly referring to thick, short, black, club-shaped appendage on barbel stem [species inquirenda because several key characters cannot be established due to poor condition of only known specimen]
Photonectes corynodes Klepadlo 2011 –odes, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: korýnē (Gr. κορύνῃ), club, mace or club, referring to mace- or club-shaped luminous terminal chin-barbel bulb
Photonectes cyanogrammicus Prokofiev & Klepadlo 2019 cyano-, from kýanos (Gr. κύανος), dark blue (but here meaning blue in general); grammicus, linear (i.e., streaked), referring to transverse streaks of blue luminous tissue on ventral side of body
Photonectes dinema Regan & Trewavas 1930 di-, (Gr. prefix), from dýo (δύο), two; nḗma (Gr. νῆμα), thread or yarn, referring to pair of short filaments at end of second barbel bulb
Photonectes distichodon Prokofiev 2019 di-, (Gr. prefix), from dýo (δύο), two, and stichus, from stíchos (Gr. στίχος), line or row, i.e., of two rows; odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth referring to biserial dentition of premaxillary
Photonectes gracilis Goode & Bean 1896 Latin for thin or slender, referring to its “much more slender” body compared with P. albipennis
Photonectes klepadloae Prokofiev & Frable 2021 in honor of Cynthia Klepadlo (1945–2020), former collection manager, Marine Vertebrates Collection, Scripps Institution of Oceanography (La Jolla, California, USA); she was an expert in midwater fishes, specializing in myctophids and stomiiforms with a particular interest in Photonectes, describing seven species (25% of all known species)
Photonectes leucospilus Regan & Trewavas 1930 white-spotted, from leukós (Gr. λευκός), white, and spílos (Gr. σπίλος), mark or spot, referring to medial white spot on snout
Photonectes litvinovi Prokofiev 2014 in memory of Prokofiev’s comrade, ichthyologist Fedor Fedorovich Litvinov (1954–2011)
Photonectes mirabilis Parr 1927 Latin for wonderful or strange, presumably referring to the “peculiar development of luminous tissue in the floor of the mouth inside the lower jaw”
Photonectes paxtoni Flynn & Klepadlo 2012 in honor of American-born Australian ichthyologist John R. Paxton (1938–2023), Australian Museum (Sydney), for his many contributions to the study of mesopelagic fishes and for his encouragement to the authors
Photonectes phyllopogon Regan & Trewavas 1930 phýllon (Gr. φύλλον), leaf; pṓgōn (Gr. πώγων), beard, referring to “leaf-like expansion” on distal appendage of barbel bulb
Photonectes sphaerolampas Prokofiev & Klepadlo 2019 sphaero-, from sphaī́ra (Gr. σφαῖρα), ball; lampás (Gr. λαμπάς), lamp, referring to characteristic shape of the bulb of luminous mental barbel
Photonectes uncinatus Prokofiev 2015 Latin for barbed or hooked, referring to its very short barbel, hooked at the top
Photonectes venetaenia Prokofiev 2016 venetus (L.), blue; taenia (L.), from tainía (Gr. ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to stripes of blue luminous tissue on body
Photonectes waitti Flynn & Klepadlo 2012 in honor of American businessman and philanthropist Theodore (Ted) Waitt (b. 1963), founder of the Waitt Family Foundation and the Waitt Institute, the latter of which sponsored and directed the expedition of the research vessel Seward Johnson to the equatorial western Pacific Ocean, during which type was collected
Subgenus Trachinostomias Parr 1927 etymology not explained, presumably trachýs (Gr. τραχύς), jagged or rough, perhaps referring to thick, black skin covering anal and dorsal fins of P. margarita; Stomias, type genus of family
Photonectes filipendulus Prokofiev 2019 filis (scientific Neo-Latin), thread-like or filiform; pendulus (L.), hanging down, referring to very small and weak (and sometimes possibly missing) pectoral-fin ray compared to rigid ray of P. margarita
Photonectes gorodinskii Prokofiev 2015 in honor of Prokofiev’s friend, naturalist-explorer Andrei Aleksandrovich Gorodinskii
Photonectes margarita (Goode & Bean 1896) Latin for pearl, referring to “pearl-colored” spot above maxilla
Photonectes munificus Gibbs 1968 Latin for bountiful, referring to high meristic counts and large body size (371 mm) of holotype
Photonectes parvimanus Regan & Trewavas 1930 parvus (L.), small; manus (L.), hand, referring to pectoral fins, which consist of two “minute” rays
Photonectes xenopogon Prokofiev 2019 xeno-, from xenikós (Gr. ξενικός), strange or foreign (i.e., different); pṓgōn (Gr. πώγων), beard, referring to barbel structure resembling not related members of subgenus Trachinostomias but those of P. (Photonectes) dinema
Tactostoma Bolin 1939 tacto-, from taktos (Gr. τακτός), ordered or arranged; stóma (Gr. στόμα), mouth, referring to teeth “arranged in linear groups” with each series “progressively increasing in length posteriorly”
Tactostoma macropus Bolin 1939 makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; pus, from poús (Gr. πούς), foot (homologous to the ventral fins), referring to its “strikingly increased number” (10) of ventral-fin rays
Thysanactis Regan & Trewavas 1930 thýsanos (Gr. θύσανος), tassel or fringe; aktís (Gr. ἀκτίς), ray, referring to isolated and produced pectoral-fin ray, with a “tassel of 5 or 6 long unpigmented filaments”
Thysanactis dentex Regan & Trewavas 1930 from dens (L.), tooth, referring to long anterior fangs on both upper and lower jaws
Trigonolampa Regan & Trewavas 1930 trígōnos (Gr. τρίγωνος), triangular; lampás (Gr. λαμπάς), lamp, referring to large triangular luminous patch of skin extending backwards from eye
Trigonolampa miriceps Regan & Trewavas 1930 mirus (L.), wonderful or amazing; –ceps (Neo-Latin) headed, presumably referring to large luminous patch of skin on head behind eye
Loosejaws
Subfamily MALACOSTEINAE Gill 1890
Aristostomias Zugmayer 1913 etymology not explained, perhaps áristos (Gr. ἄριστος), best or noblest, a fitting adjective for a genus whose type species, A. grimaldii, is named after royalty; Stomias, type genus of family
Aristostomias grimaldii Zugmayer 1913 in honor of Albert Honoré Charles Grimaldi (1848–1922), Albert I, Prince of Monaco, who founded his country’s Institut Océanographique, which published this fish’s description
Aristostomias lunifer Regan & Trewavas 1930 luna (L.), moon; –ifer, from fera (L.), to have or bear, presumably referring to “semicircular strip of luminous tissue” behind eye
Aristostomias polydactylus Regan & Trewavas 1930 polý (Gr. πολύ), many; dáktylos (Gr. δάκτυλος), finger, referring to 14–17 pectoral-fin rays, the most in the genus
Aristostomias scintillans (Gilbert 1915) Latin for shiny or bright, presumably referring to its “very numerous minute, luminous organs”
Aristostomias tittmanni Welsh 1923 in honor of Otto Hilgard Tittmann (1850–1938), former Superintendent of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, who authorized the use of the survey steamer Bache for the South Atlantic expedition, during which holotype was collected (Tittmann was also co-founder of the National Geographic Society)
Aristostomias xenostoma Regan & Trewavas 1930 xeno-, from xenikós (Gr. ξενικός), strange or foreign (i.e., different); stóma (Gr. στόμα), mouth, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to the unique jaw structure diagnostic of the subfamily (floor of lower jaw lacks membranes, which allows jaws to swing widely while feeding)
Malacosteus Ayres 1848 malakós (Gr. μαλακός), soft; osteus (Neo-Latin), bony, from ostéon (Gr. ὀστέον), bone, referring to the “extreme softness” of the bones of M. niger, “which can be pierced even in their hardest parts by a needle, with the greatest ease”
Malacosteus australis Kenaley 2007 Latin for southern, referring to its geographical range (subtropical and temperate waters of the Southern Hemisphere and equatorial waters of the Indian Ocean and Indo-Australian Archipelago, south to New Caledonia)
Malacosteus niger Ayres 1848 Latin for dark or black, referring to its color
Photostomias Collett 1889 phōtō– (Gr. φωτω-), combining form of phṓs (φῶς), light, referring to two light-producing postorbital (PO) photophores and/or serial ventral photophores; Stomias, type genus of family
Photostomias atrox (Alcock 1890) Latin for savage or fierce, presumably referring to its “enormous” mouth, the cleft as long as the head
Photostomias goodyeari Kenaley & Hartel 2005 in honor of Richard Hugo Goodyear (1943–2013), Centre de Ciencias del Mar y Limnologia, Universidad de Panama, for his contributions to the systematics of stomiid fishes
Photostomias guernei Collett 1889 in honor of French zoologist and geographer Jules de Guerne (1855–1931), who served for three years as Prince Albert of Monaco’s personal zoologist on the research cruises aboard the Prince’s yacht L’Hirondelle
Photostomias liemi Kenaley 2009 in honor of Indonesian-born ichthyologist Karel F. Liem (1935–2009), for over three decades of curation and support of scientists, students, and staff as Curator of Ichthyology and Henry Bryant Bigelow Professor of Ichthyology at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University
Photostomias lucingens Kenaley 2009 luci-, from lucidus (L.), bright or shining; ingens (L.), of remarkable size, referring to the extreme size of light-producing postorbital (PO) photophores in males
Photostomias tantillux Kenaley 2009 tantillus (L.), so little or so small; lux (L.), light, referring to small size of its light-producing postorbital (PO) photophores
Black Dragonfishes
Subfamily IDIACANTHINAE Gill 1893
Idiacanthus Peters 1877 ídios (Gr. ἴδιος), distinctive or peculiar; acanthus (L.), from ákantha (Gr. ἄκανθα), thorn, presumably referring to pair of short, pointed, bony projections anterior to and flanking each dorsal- and anal-fin ray of I. fasciola
Idiacanthus antrostomus Gilbert 1890 etymology not explained, probably cave-mouthed, from antrum (L.), cavern, and stóma (Gr. στόμα), mouth, referring to its large (i.e., cavernous) mouth
Idiacanthus atlanticus Brauer 1906 –icus (L.), belonging to: eastern Atlantic Ocean, type locality
Idiacanthus fasciola Peters 1877 fasciola, diminutive of fascia (L.), band, presumably referring to its band- or ribbon-shaped (“bandförmigen”) body