Updated 31 March 2025
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Lizardfishes
Subfamily SYNODONTINAE Gill 1861

Synodus Scopoli 1777 tautonymous with Esox synodus (see S. synodus for an explanation of this ancient and enigmatic name)

Synodus binotatus Schultz 1953 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; notatus (L.), marked, referring to two black spots at tip of snout

Synodus bondi Fowler 1939 in honor of American ornithologist James Bond (1900-1989), Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, who collected holotype [historical footnote: Bond’s name was appropriated by writer Ian Fleming for his fictional spy, 007 James Bond]

Synodus capricornis Cressey & Randall 1978 -is, Latin genitive singular of: Capricorn, referring to type locality near the Tropic of Capricorn

Synodus dermatogenys Fowler 1912 dérmato- (Gr. δέρματο), combining form of dérma (δέρμα), skin; génys (Gr. γένυς), jaw (usually the cheek or lower jaw in ichthyology), referring to its scaleless lower cheek

Synodus doaki Russell & Cressey 1979 in honor of Wade Doak (1940–2019), “pioneer” New Zealand diver and underwater naturalist, who discovered this species at Poor Knights Islands, off eastern Northland, New Zealand

Synodus evermanni Jordan & Bollman 1890 in honor American ichthyologist Barton Warren Evermann (1853–1932), United States Fish Commission, which sponsored expedition that collected holotype

Synodus falcatus Waples & Randall 1989 Latin for curved or sickle-shaped, referring to curved shape of flap over anterior nares

Synodus fasciapelvicus Randall 2009 fascia (L.), band; pelvicus (L.), pelvic, referring to broad cross bands on pelvic fins in fresh specimens, with pigment on membranes as well as rays

Synodus foetens (Linnaeus 1766) Latin for smelly or stinking, allusion not explained (Linnaeus examined specimens sent from South Carolina, USA, preserved in rum; perhaps they were in a bad state when he received them)

Synodus fuscus Tanaka 1917 Latin for dark or dusky, referring to dark pectoral fin, dark margin of tail, and/or nine indistinct blotches on sides

Synodus gibbsi Cressey 1981 in honor of American ichthyologist Robert H. Gibbs, Jr. (1929–1988), U.S. National Museum, “good friend and colleague and one of the early workers to show the value of peritoneal spots in identifying postlarval lizardfishes”

Synodus hoshinonis Tanaka 1917 -is, Latin genitive singular of: Isaburo Hoshino (no other information available), who “procured” (translation) holotype

Synodus houlti McCulloch 1921 in honor of Captain (forename not given) Hoult of the Queensland Government trawler Bar-ea-mul, who secured holotype

Synodus indicus (Day 1873) -icus (L.), belonging to: referring to type locality off Madras (new Chennai), India, in the Indian Ocean

Synodus intermedius (Spix & Agassiz 1829) Latin for intermediate, allusion not explained, presumably intermediate in characters between Saurus longirostris (species inquirenda) and Saurus truncatus (=Trachinocephalus myops)

Synodus isolatus Randall 2009 Latin for isolated, referring to Easter Island, type locality, “the most isolated island of the Indo-Pacific region”

Synodus jaculum Russell & Cressey 1979 Latin for javelin, referring to peculiar behavior of launching itself off the bottom and swimming in midwater for prolonged periods

Synodus kaianus (Günther 1880) -anus (L.), belonging to: Kai Islands, Molucca Islands, Indonesia, type locality

Synodus lacertinus Gilbert 1890 Latin for lizard-like, presumably referring to its lizard-like head and mouth (which give lizardfishes their vernacular name)

Synodus lobeli Waples & Randall 1989 in honor of ichthyologist Phillip S. Lobel, Boston University, who discovered this species and suspected it was new

Synodus lucioceps (Ayres 1855) lucius (L.), pike (Esocidae); –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to “the very close resemblance which the head bears in form to that of a small Pike” (Esox)

Synodus macrocephalus Cressey 1981 big-headed, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and kephalḗ (Gr. κεφαλή), head, allusion not explained, but this species has one of the larger heads (measured in percentage of SL) among Indo-West Pacific lizardfishes covered in Cressey’s monograph

Synodus macrops Tanaka 1917 macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye, referring to eye as long as snout

Synodus macrostigmus Frable, Luther & Baldwin 2013 macro-, from makrós (Gr. μaκρóς), long or large; stigmus, from stigma (Gr. στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to its large, black scapular blotch

Synodus marchenae Hildebrand 1946 of Marchena Island, Galápagos, type locality

Synodus mascarensis Prokofiev 2008 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Mascarene Ridge, Western Indian Ocean, type locality

Synodus mundyi Randall 2009 in honor of fishery biologist Bruce C. Mundy, National Marine Fisheries Service (Honolulu Laboratory), for his “extensive” systematic research on the Hawaiian fish fauna

Synodus nigrotaeniatus Allen, Erdmann & Peristiwady 2017 nigro-, from niger (L.), dark or black; taeniatus (L.), banded, referring to its black midlateral stripe

Synodus oculeus Cressey 1981 Latin for full of eyes, referring to its relatively large eyes

Synodus orientalis Randall & Pyle 2008 Latin for eastern, referring to its occurrence in Taiwan and Japan

Synodus pacificus Ho, Chen & Shao 2016 -icus (L.), belonging to: western Pacific Ocean, collected off northern and southwestern Taiwan, the Philippines and New Caledonia

Synodus poeyi Jordan 1887 in honor of Cuban zoologist Felipe Poey (1799–1891), who discovered this lizardfish but reported it as S. intermedius in 1875

Synodus pylei Randall 2009 in honor of ichthyologist Richard L. Pyle (b. 1967), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), who collected type specimens and provided a color photograph of the holotype

Synodus randalli Cressey 1981 in honor of American ichthyologist John E. Randall (1924–2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), who collected type and enthusiastically supported Cressey’s revision of the genus

Synodus rubromarmoratus Russell & Cressey 1979 rubro-, from ruber (L.), red; marmoratus (L.), marbled, referring to its red-marbled coloration in life

Synodus sageneus Waite 1905 Neo-Latin adjective derived from sagena (L.), net, i.e., net-like, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to scales “broadly margined with reddish brown,” which can be said to form a net-like pattern

Synodus sanguineus Randall 2009 Latin for blood-red, referring to its predominantly deep-red color

Synodus saurus (Linnaeus 1758) from saúra (Gr. σαύρα), lizard, presumably referring to its lizard-like head and mouth (which give lizardfishes their vernacular name)

Synodus scituliceps Jordan & Gilbert 1882 scitulus, Latin for neat, trim or slender; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to its “very short and slender” head

Synodus sechurae Hildebrand 1946 of Sechura Bay, Peru, type locality

Synodus similis McCulloch 1921 Latin for like or resembling, described as “apparently very similar” to S. indicus

Synodus synodus (Linnaeus 1758) Synódous (Συνόδους), ancient Greek name for Dentex dentex (Sparidae), presumably a combination of syn (Gr. συν), together or joined, and odoús (Gr. ὀδούς), tooth, possibly referring to how the teeth meet evenly, those of one jaw interlocking with those of the other; the name was first applied to lizardfishes by Gronow in 1756, who later (1763) described the teeth of S. synodus as “crowded together in the jaws, palate, tongue and throat” (translation, emphasis added)

Synodus taiwanensis Chen, Ho & Shao 2007 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Taiwan, where type locality (off Hobihu) is situated

Synodus tectus Cressey 1981 Latin for covered, concealed or disguised, referring to its external similarity to S. hoshinonis

Synodus ulae Schultz 1953 Hawaiian common name for this species, meaning red, presumably referring to its red-color phase in life

Synodus usitatus Cressey 1981 Latin for ordinary, referring to its lack of any outstanding markings

Synodus variegatus (Lacepède 1803) Latin for “of different sorts,” particularly colors, referring to its “very varied” coloration: “Shades of light brown on the back are highlighted by red spots, and match well the red, yellow, and black of two longitudinal stripes symmetrically found on each side of the [fish], and also match the black and red colors of the fins” (translations)

Synodus vityazi Ho, Prokofiev & Shao 2010 in honor of the Russian research vessel Vityaz II, for its “great contribution to deep-sea fish research” and for collecting holotype

Trachinocephalus Gill 1861 Trachino-, referring to resemblance to weever-fishes, Trachinus (Trachinidae); cephalus, from kephalḗ (Gr. κεφαλή), head, possibly referring to “abbreviated trachinoid muzzle” of Synodus brevirostris (=T. myops) per Gill (1862)

Trachinocephalus atrisignis Prokofiev 2019 atri-, from ater (L.), black; signis, unnecessary pluralization of signum (L.), mark, referring to black spot at tip of dorsal fin

Trachinocephalus gauguini Polanco Fernandez, Acero P. & Betancur-R. 2016 in honor of French painter Paul Gauguin (1848–1903), who died in the Marquesas Islands (type locality) on 8 May 1903

Trachinocephalus myops (Forster 1801) Latin for near-sighted, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its anterior eyes, placed near tip of snout

Trachinocephalus trachinus (Temminck & Schlegel 1846) named for its resemblance to the weever-fishes, Trachinus (Perciformes: Trachinidae)

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Bombay Ducks
Subfamily HARPADONTINAE Bleeker 1875

Harpadon Lesueur 1825 hárpē (Gr. ἅρπη), a curved weapon or implement, similar to a sickle or a pruning hook; odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, presumably referring to “long, hooked” teeth of Salmo microps (=H. nehereus), “armed with one or two barbs at their extremities”

Harpadon erythraeus Klausewitz 1983 -eus (L.), adjectival suffix: erythrós (Gr. ἐρυθρός), red, referring to the Red Sea, where it is endemic

Harpadon microchir Günther 1878 micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; cheirós (Gr.χειρός), genitive of cheir (χείρ), hand, homologous to the pectoral fin, referring to its “very short” pectoral fin compared with H. nehereus

Harpadon mortenseni Hardenberg 1933 in honor of Danish echinoderm biologist Ole Theodor J. Mortensen (1868–1952), University of Copenhagen, who collected holotype

Harpadon nehereus (Hamilton 1822) Latinization of Nehare, its local name at the mouth of the Ganges River in India

Harpadon nudus Ganga & Thomas 2016 Latin for bare or naked, referring to absence of scales on body

Harpadon squamosus Alcock 1891 squama (L.), scale; –osus, L. suffix connoting fullness, referring to deciduous cycloid scales covering body, posterior part of head, and cheeks, becoming less deciduous on posterior half of tail

Harpadon translucens Saville-Kent 1889 Latin for clear, transparent or translucent, described as “remarkably transparent” in life

Saurida Valenciennes 1850 diminutive of Saurus (now a junior synonym of Synodus), referring to its similarity to that genus

Saurida argentea Macleay 1881 Latin for silvery, referring to silvery center on most of the scales

Saurida brasiliensis Norman 1935 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Cape Frio, Brazil, type locality

Saurida caribbaea Breder 1927 named for the Caribbean Sea, presumably referring to its type locality, north of Glovers Reef, Belize

Saurida elongata (Temminck & Schlegel 1846) Latin for prolonged, referring to its slenderer body compared with Aulopus filamentosus (Aulopidae), its presumed congener at the time

Saurida eso Jordan & Herre 1907 Japanese name for species of Saurida and Synodus

Saurida filamentosa Ogilby 1910 Latin for filamentous, referring to “more or less filamentous” third and fourth dorsal-fin rays, and produced second dorsal-fin ray, which reaches (when depressed) to or beyond base of adipose fin in male, and midway between adipose fin and tip of third dorsal-fin ray in females

Saurida flamma Waples 1982 Latin for flame or a blazing fire, referring to the “striking” reddish-orange coloration on mouth and body

Saurida fortis Furuhashi, Russell & Motomura 2022 Latin for strong, referring to its “robust” size

Saurida golanii Russell 2011 in honor of Israeli ichthyologist Daniel Golani, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, for his “very significant” contribution to Red Sea ichthyology

Saurida gracilis (Quoy & Gaimard 1824) Latin for thin or slender, referring to its slender body (“corpore gracili”) compared with the conical body (“corpore conico”) of Synodus variegatus, its presumed congener at the time

Saurida grandisquamis Günther 1864 grandis (L.), large; squamis, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of squama (L.), scale, possibly referring to larger lateral-line scales compared with S. undosquamis

Saurida isarankurai Shindo & Yamada 1972 in honor of Thai fisheries biologist Andhi Isarankura (1935–2006), Marine Fisheries Laboratory (Bangkok); he worked to establish sustainable fisheries in the Asia and Pacific Islands

Saurida lessepsianus Russell, Golani & Tikochinski 2015 Latin for Lessepsian, referring to its distribution in both the Red Sea and eastern Mediterranean Sea, having migrated from the former to the latter via the Suez Canal, a phenomenon known as “Lessepsian migration” (after the French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, who supervised the construction of the canal)

Saurida longimanus Norman 1939 longus (L.), long; manus (L.), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), referring to longer pectoral fin compared with S. undosquamis

Saurida macrolepis Tanaka 1917 macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; lepίs (Gr. λεπίς), scale, referring to larger scales compared with the similar S. argyrophanes (=tumbil)

Saurida micropectoralis Shindo & Yamada 1972 micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; pectoralis (L.), pectoral, referring to its “very short” pectoral fin, the shortest of all Indo-Pacific congeners known at the time

Saurida nebulosa Valenciennes 1850 Latin for cloudy, presumably referring to blackish spots or blotches on back and sides

Saurida normani Longley 1935 in honor of English ichthyologist J. R. (John Roxborough) Norman (1898–1944), British Museum (Natural History), for his contributions to ichthyology in general and to the knowledge of Synodontidae in particular

Saurida pseudotumbil Dutt & Sagar 1981 pseudo-, from pseúdēs (Gr. ψεύδης), false, referring to its previous misidentification as and close relationship to S. tumbil

Saurida suspicio Breder 1927 Latin for to look upwards, referring to its “curious upward glancing eyes”

Saurida tumbil (Bloch 1795) based on Tombili, its Tamil name in India, which Bloch decided to use since it is “easy to express in several European languages” (translation)

Saurida tweddlei Russell 2015 in honor of Denis Tweddle (b. 1949), Honorary Research Associate at South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, who collected this species during an exploratory fishing survey of the Mascarene Plateau by the research vessel Dr Fridtjof Nansen and brought it to Russell’s attention

Saurida umeyoshii Inoue & Nakabo 2006 in honor of Japanese ichthyologist Umeyoshi Yamada, formerly of the Fisheries Agency of Seikai National Fisheries Research Institute, who first recognized this species as new

Saurida undosquamis (Richardson 1848) undo-, presumably a variant or misspelling of undu-, from undulatus (L.), wavy; squamis, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of squama (L.), scale, possibly referring to its lateral-line scales, “irregularly semicircular or semioval, the chord or base being divided by three furrows into four lobes, and the free margins, with the adjoining parts of the disk, being undulated”

Saurida weijeni Russell, Malay & Cabebe-Barnuevo 2024 in honor of Wei-Jen Chen, Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, who collected this species during an exploratory fish survey of the Macclesfield Bank area of the South China Sea