Revised 11 Oct. 2025
PDF version (with illustrations and additional information)

Antimora Günther 1878 anti– (ἀντι-), equal to or like, referring to how “imperfect division” of anal fin of A. rostrata “approaches” the genus Mora

Antimora microlepis Bean 1890 micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small; lepís (λεπίς), scale, referring to its “very small” scales, ~130 along lateral line

Antimora rostrata (Günther 1878) Latin for beaked, referring to its “peculiarly produced snout, which forms a short, triangular, pointed lamina, sharply keeled on the sides, and overreaching the cleft of the mouth”

Auchenoceros Günther 1889 auchḗn (αὐχήν), nape or neck; ceros, from kerás (κεράς), horn, presumably referring to anterior dorsal fin “reduced to a single long ray on the neck”

Auchenoceros punctatus (Hutton 1873) Latin for spotted, referring to “minute black dots” on back, tail and base of pectoral fins

Eeyorius Paulin 1986 named for Eeyore, “a literary character who lived in damp places,”
presumably Eeyore, the gloomy stuffed donkey in the “Winnie-the-Pooh” books, allusion not explained nor evident but here’s a guess: a playful allusion to the fact that several gadiform genera (Gaidropsarus, Lyconus, Macruronus, Melanonus) have names that evoke onos (ὄνος), donkey or ass (asellus in Latin), a name dating to Aristotle for an unidentified gadiform fish, posssibly Phycis blennoides (Gadidae)

Eeyorius hutchinsi Paulin 1986 in honor of J. Barry Hutchins (b. 1946), Curator of Fishes, Western Australian Museum, who collected holotype

Eretmophorus Giglioli 1889 eretmón (ἐρετμόν), oar or paddle; phorus, from phoreús (φορεύς), bearer or carrier, referring to median three ventral-fin rays, which are “greatly elongated and furnished at the end with a beautiful lanceolate paddlelike blade” [italics in original]

Eretmophorus kleinenbergi Giglioli 1889 in honor of Baltic German zoologist Nicolaus Kleinenberg (1842–1897), director of the Zoological Institute of Messina University (Italy), who provided three specimens and “many other ichthyological rarities”

Gadella Lowe 1843 presumably a diminutive of gadus, from gádos (γάδος), a hake, cod or similar gadiform fish, possibly referring to small size (~10 cm) of the single specimen of G. gracilis (=maraldi) that Lowe examined

Gadella brocca Paulin & Roberts 1997 Latin for having projecting teeth, referring to its prominent dentition

Gadella dancoheni Sazonov & Shcherbachev 2000 in honor of Daniel M. Cohen (1930–2017), Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, friend and colleague, for his important and well-known papers on the family; in addition, Cohen took part on the cruise during which holotype was collected

Gadella edelmanni (Brauer 1906) patronym not identified, possibly in honor of J. Edelmann, a machinist on the Valdivia Expedition (1888-1899), during which holotype was collected

Gadella filifer (Garman 1899) filum (L.), thread; –ifer, from fero (L.), to have or bear, referring to third ray of first dorsal fin, “prolonged in a filament, longer than the head”

Gadella imberbis (Vaillant 1888) Latin for beardless, referring to absence of mental barbel (a diagnostic feature of the genus)

Gadella jordani (Böhlke & Mead 1951) in honor of American ichthyologist David Starr Jordan (1851–1931), former President and Chancellor of Stanford University, where holotype is housed, and a student of gadiform fishes from Japan (where this one is from)

Gadella macrura Sazonov & Shcherbachev 2000 big-tailed, from makrós (μακρός), long or large, and ourá (οὐρά), tail, referring to elongated tail common to other Indian Ocean congeners (dancoheni, edelmanni, jordani)

Gadella maraldi (Risso 1810) in honor of Giacomo F. Maraldi (1665–1729, also known as Jacques Maraldi), French-Italian astronomer and mathematician [a noun in apposition, without the genitive “i”]

Gadella molokaiensis Paulin 1989 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Island of Molokai, Hawaiian Islands, where several paratype specimens were collected

Gadella obscurus (Parin 1984) Latin for dark, referring to its “overall shade coloration” (translation)

Gadella svetovidovi Trunov 1992 in honor of Russian ichthyologist Anatolii Nikolaevich Svetovidov (1903–1985), for “great contributions” (translation) to the study of gadiform fishes

Gadella thysthlon Long & McCosker 1998 from θυσθλον, a sacred torch used to ignite ceremonial fires during festivities that celebrated Bacchus (Roman) or Dionysus (Greek), the god of wine and revelry, referring to bright orange-red fins emanating from a dark body, resembling a torch

Guttigadus Taki 1953 etymology not explained, perhaps gutta (L.), drop, i.e., guttiform, shaped like a drop, referring to anterior body shape of G. nana; gadus, from gádos (γάδος), a hake, cod or similar gadiform fish

Guttigadus globiceps (Gilchrist 1906) globus (L.), globe or sphere; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to its globular head

Guttigadus globosus (Paulin 1986) Latin for spherical or globular, referring to its very large globular head

Guttigadus kongi (Markle & Meléndez C. 1988) in honor of ichthyologist Ismael Kong Urbina (1942–2008), University of Antofagasta (Chile), collector of the type material and “ardent friend” of Chilean ichthyology

Guttigadus latifrons (Holt & Byrne 1908) latus (L.), wide or broad; frons (L.), forehead, referring to its “broad and somewhat depressed” head

Guttigadus nana (Taki 1953) nana (L.), a female dwarf, referring to its small size, described at 74 mm TL

Guttigadus nudicephalus (Trunov 1990) nudus (L.), bare or naked; cephalus, from kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to its head “practically devoid” (translation) of scales

Guttigadus nudirostris (Trunov 1990) nudus (L.), bare or naked; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, referring to snout “practically devoid” (translation) of scales

Guttigadus squamirostris (Trunov 1990) squama (L.), scale; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, referring to presence of scales on snout (compared with G. nudirostris)

Halargyreus Günther 1862 etymology not explained, perhaps halós (ἁλός), genitive of háls (ἅλς), sea, referring to deep-sea habitat; argyreus, from argýreios (ἀργύρειος), white metal (i.e., silver), referring to its color (“delicate red on silvery ground”)

Halargyreus johnsonii Günther 1862 in honor of English naturalist James Yate Johnson (1820–1900), who supplied holotype

Laemonema Günther 1862 laemo, from laimós (λαιμός), throat; nḗma (νῆμα), thread or yarn, presumably referring to “very slender” chin barbel of L. yarrellii and/or L. robustum

Laemonema barbatulum Goode & Bean 1883 diminutive of barbata (L.), bearded, referring to small chin barbel, “half as long as the diameter of the eye”

Laemonema compressicauda (Gilchrist 1903) compressus (L.), squeezed together; cauda (L.), tail, allusion not explained, presumably referring to its slender caudal fin, a character not mentioned but clearly evident in the illustration that accompanied the description

Laemonema filodorsale Okamura 1982 filo, from filum (L.), thread; dorsale, neuter of dorsalis (L.), of the back. referring to first dorsal-fin ray prolonged as a filament

Laemonema goodebeanorum Meléndez C. & Markle 1997 –orum (L.), commemorative suffix, plural: in honor of American ichthyologists George Brown Goode (1851–1896) and Tarleton H. Bean (1846–1916), for their 1896 monograph Oceanic Ichthyology

Laemonema gracillipes Garman 1899 gracilis (L.), thin or slender; pes (L.), foot (homologous to the ventral fin), referring to its “slender” ventral fins

Laemonema laureysi Poll 1953 in honor of J. Laureys, commander of the expedition trawler that collected holotype

Laemonema longipes Schmidt 1938 longus (L.), long; pes (L.), foot (homologous to the ventral fin), referring to its “very long” ventral-fin rays, “cirrus-like, reaching by their tips nearly to middle of body length”

Laemonema macronema Meléndez C. & Markle 1997 macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; nema, from cnemis (Neo-Latin), from knḗmē (κνήμη), shin (“leggings or fin rays” per the authors), referring to its long pelvic-fin rays

Laemonema melanurum Goode & Bean 1896 black-tailed, from mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black, and ourá (οὐρά), tail, referring to “dark blotch occupying almost the whole of the caudal, leaving a margin of whitish around it”

Laemonema modestum (Franz 1910) Latin for moderate, modest or unassuming, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its brown color and/or short dorsal-fin filament compared with Lepidion inosimae, its presumed congener at the time

Laemonema rhodochir Gilbert 1905 rhódon (ῥόδον), rose; chir, from cheír (χείρ), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), referring to its orange-red pectoral fins

Laemonema robustum Johnson 1862 Latin for of oak or oaken and, by extension, hard, firm or solid (but often used by ichthyologists to mean fat or stout), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to anterior part of body (“thick before, much depressed behind”)

Laemonema verecundum (Jordan & Cramer 1897) Latin for modest, allusion not explained, possibly referring to its non-filamentous (and therefore modest) first dorsal fin compared with filamentous first dorsal fin of Lepidion lepidion, its presumed congener at the time

Laemonema yarrellii (Lowe 1838) in honor of English zoologist William Yarrell (1784–1856), expressing both a “public tribute to one of our ablest ichthyologists” and “private acknowledgements to the friend who first drew my attention to this very distinct and pretty species”

Laemonema yuvto Parin & Sazonov 1990 abbreviation based on the vernacular term used by Russian fishermen for the southeastern Pacific Ocean (where this species occurs), Yugo-Vostochnaya chast Tikhogo Okeana

Lepidion Swainson 1838 tautonymous with Gadus lepidion Risso 1810 (which Swainson unnecessarily renamed as L. rissoii and, a year later, L. rubescens)

Lepidion capense Gilchrist 1922 –ense (L.), suffix denoting place: presumably referring to its occurrence off the Eastern Cape of South Africa [originally spelled capensis, emended to agree with neuter genus]

Lepidion ensiferus (Günther 1887) ensis (L.), sword; fero (L.), to have or bear, presumably referring to long dorsal-fin ray (at least in males), “strongly compressed, broad, shaped like a blade of grass” [treated as a noun per ICZN 31.2.2]

Lepidion guentheri (Giglioli 1880) in honor of German-born British ichthyologist-herpetologist Albert Günther (1830–1914), who reported this species as Haloporphyrus (=Lepidion) lepidion in 1862

Lepidion inosimae (Günther 1887) of Inosima, Japan, type locality

Lepidion lepidion (Risso 1810) diminutive of lepís (λεπίς), scale, referring to its “small smooth scales, strongly adherent to the skin” (translation)

Lepidion microcephalus Cowper 1956 small-headed, from mikrós (μικρός), small, and kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to its “comparatively small” head relative to congeners [treated as a noun per ICZN 31.2.2]

Lepidion natalense Gilchrist 1922 –ense, Latin suffix denoting place: off the Natal coast (now called KwaZulu-Natal coast) of South Africa, type locality [originally spelled natalense, emended to agree with neuter genus]

Lepidion schmidti Svetovidov 1936 in honor of Russian ichthyologist Petr Yulievich Schmidt (1872–1949), who reported this cod as L. inosimae in 1931

Lotella Kaup 1858 diminutive of Lota, original genus of type species, L. phycis (which Kaup unnecessarily renamed as L. schlegeli)

Lotella fernandeziana Rendahl 1921 –ana (L.), belonging to: Juan Fernández Islands, where it is endemic

Lotella phycis (Temminck & Schlegel 1846) etymology not explained, perhaps referring to general resemblance to Phycis phycis (Phycidae), or perhaps used as a general term for a cod or cod-like fish [see Phycis entry for details]

Lotella rhacinus (Forster 1801) a word that is neither Latin nor Greek but which Forster believed was the ancient name of dusky or black fish, which he repurposed for this species, described as black in color (actually, it’s yellow-grey to red-brown in life) [often misspelled as an adjective, rhacina; see essay on next page for a detailed etymological history]

Lotella tosaensis (Kamohara 1936) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: off Tosa Province, Shikoku, Japan, type locality

Mora Risso 1827 moro, vernacular name for this species in France and Italy (see species); Risso changed spelling to “mora” apparently to agree with type species, Mora mediterranea, an unnecessary replacement name for M. moro

Mora moro (Risso 1810) vernacular name for this species in France and Italy, presumably derived from morrhua, Neo-Latin for codfish

Notophycis Sazonov 2001 nótos (nότος), south (from Nótos, Greek god of the south wind), referring to the distribution of N. marginata in the Southern Hemisphere; Phycis, a generic name from Phycidae (see that entry), here used as a general term for a cod or cod-like fish

Notophycis fitchi Sazonov 2001 in honor of the late John E. Fitch (1918– 1982), marine and fisheries biologist, California Department of Fish and Game, the senior author of a 1972 study on the structure of otoliths in N. marginata

Notophycis marginata (Günther 1878) Latin for bordered or edged, referring to black margins on its unpaired fins

Notophycis marginata tasmaniensis Sazonov 2001 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Tasman Sea, off New South Wales and Tasmania, where it occurs

Notophycis marginata trunovi Sazonov 2001 in honor of Russian ichthyologist Ivan Andreevich Trunov (1936–2005), Atlantic Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, who first noted the existence of this form in 1992, and who studied morid and other bathyal fishes of the southeastern Atlantic

Physiculus Kaup 1858 etymology not explained, presumably a diminutive of Phycis (Phycidae, see that entry), possibly used here as a general term for a cod or cod-like fish

Physiculus andriashevi Shcherbachev 1993 in honor of Russian ichthyologist Anatoly Petrovich Andriashev (1910–2009)

Physiculus argyropastus Alcock 1894 árgyros (ἄργυρος), white metal (i.e., silver); pastós (παστός), sprinkled with salt, presumably referring to color in spirits: “light pinkish brown, with a silvery sheen”

Physiculus beckeri Shcherbachev 1993 in honor of ichthyologist Vladimir Eduardovich Becker (1925–1995), Institute of Oceanology (Moscow)

Physiculus bertelseni Shcherbachev 1993 in honor of Danish ichthyologist Erik Bertelsen (1912–1993), for contributions to the study of deep-sea fishes

Physiculus caboverdensis González, Triay-Portella & Biscoito 2018 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Cape Verde Islands, type locality

Physiculus capensis Gilchrist 1922 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: presumably referring to its occurrence off the Eastern Cape of South Africa

Physiculus chigodarana Paulin 1989 Japanese word meaning “small codfish” (described from Kagashima, Japan)

Physiculus cirm Carvalho-Filho & Pires 2019 named for CIRM, Comissão Interministerial para os Recursos do Mar, which, since the middle 1990s, has been the “main institution responsible for financing research and keeping a local research station,” and which made the authors’ study possible

Physiculus coheni Paulin 1989 in honor of Daniel M. Cohen (1930–2017), Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, for contributions to the knowledge of morid fishes

Physiculus cyanostrophus Anderson & Tweddle 2002 blue-banded, from kýanos (κύανος), dark blue, and stróphos (στρόφος), belt or swaddling band, referring to distinctive blue pigment encircling body

Physiculus cynodon Sazonov 1986 cyno-, from kynós (κυνός), genitive of kýōn (κύων), dog; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to uniserial fanged teeth in lower jaw

Physiculus dalwigki Kaup 1858 in honor of German statesman and “dear friend” Reinhard von Dalwigk (1802–1888), as a “small sign of my gratitude” (translations)

Physiculus fedorovi Shcherbachev 1993 in honor of Vladimir Vladimirovich Fedorov (1939–2011), Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, for contributions to the study of deep-sea fishes, particularly those of the Pacific

Physiculus fulvus Bean 1884 Latin for tawny or reddish-brown, referring to “light yellowish-brown” general coloration (with undersurface of head, abdomen, margins of dorsal and anal fins, lips, and pectoral-fin axis a “very dark brown”)

Physiculus grinnelli Jordan & Jordan 1922 in honor of lepidopterist Fordyce Grinnell, Jr. (1882–1943), former student of David Starr Jordan, who provided “efficient assistance” by visiting Honolulu fish markets daily

Physiculus helenaensis Paulin 1989 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: St. Helena, a volcanic tropical island in the South Atlantic, where it is endemic

Physiculus hexacytus Parin 1984 héx (ἕξ), six; cytus, from kýtos (κύτος), a hollow or cavity, referring to presence of six pyloric caeca, an important diagnostic character

Physiculus huloti Poll 1953 in honor of André Hulot, Institut National pour l’Etude Agronomique du Congo, “who successfully took on ichthyological observations during second half of expedition” from which type was collected (translation)

Physiculus indicus Idrees Babu, Ho, Mariyambi & Sureshkumar 2022 Indian, described from Lakshadweep (Laccadives), east coast of Kavaratti Island, India

Physiculus japonicus Hilgendorf 1879 –icus (L.), belonging to: Yokohama, Japan, type locality

Physiculus karrerae Paulin 1989 in honor of German ichthyologist Christine Karrer, for her contributions to the knowledge of morid fishes

Physiculus kaupi Poey 1865 in honor of German naturalist Johann Jacob Kaup (1803–1873), who proposed the genus Physiculus in 1858

Physiculus lakshadeepa Idrees Babu, Ho, Mariyambi & Sureshkumar 2022 lakshadeep, Malayalam word meaning “one lakh [hundred thousand] islands,” source of the name Lakshadweep (Laccadives), east coast of Kavaratti Island, India, type locality; –a, Malayalam suffix for “of” or “from”

Physiculus longicavis Parin 1984 longus (L.), long; cavus (L.), pit or hollow, referring to great length of its abdominal cavity

Physiculus longifilis Weber 1913 longus (L.), long; filis, (scientific Neo-Latin), thread-like or filiform, presumably referring to extended ray of first dorsal fin

Physiculus luminosus Paulin 1983 Latin for full of light, referring to light organ on belly [originally spelled luminosa; emended to agree with masculine gender of genus]

Physiculus marisrubri Brüss 1986 maris, genitive of mare (L.), sea; rubri, genitive plural or nominative/vocative plural masculine form of ruber (L.), red, i.e., of the Red Sea, where it is endemic

Physiculus maslowskii Trunov 1991 in memory of Alexandr Davidovich Maslovskiy (1897–1969), Trunov’s first teacher, an Associate Professor in the Department of Hydrobiology, Khar’kov State University, Ukraine

Physiculus megastomus Tang 2021 large-mouthed, from mégas (μέγας), large or great, and stóma (στόμα), mouth, referring to its large mouth, with posterior end of maxilla extending well behind level of the posterior margin of the orbit

Physiculus microbarbatus Paulin & Matallanas 1990 micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small; barbatus (L.), bearded, referring to small chin barbel, <¼ diameter of orbit [originally spelled microbarbata; emended to agree with masculine gender of genus]

Physiculus natalensis Gilchrist 1922 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: off the Natal coast (now called KwaZulu-Natal coast) of South Africa, type locality

Physiculus nematopus Gilbert 1890 nḗmatos (νήματος), threaded; poús (πούς), foot (homologous to the ventral fins), referring to filamentous outer two rays of ventral fins

Physiculus nielseni Shcherbachev 1993 in honor of Danish ichthyologist Jørgen G. Nielsen (b. 1932), Zoological Museum of Copenaghen, for his major contributions to the study of deepwater fishes of the World Ocean

Physiculus nigrescens Smith & Radcliffe 1912 Latin for blackish, referring to itd “brownish black” ground color and/or “dusky” vertical fins

Physiculus nigripinnis Okamura 1982 niger (L.), dark or black; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to its black fins

Physiculus normani Brüss 1986 in honor of English ichthyologist J. R. (John Roxborough) Norman (1898–1944), British Museum (Natural History), who first described this cod but reported it as P. peregrinus in 1939

Physiculus parini Paulin 1991 in honor of ichthyologist Nikolai Vasil’evich Parin (1932–2012), Russian Academy of Sciences, for his contributions to the study of marine fishes of the southeastern Pacific Ocean

Physiculus peregrinus (Günther 1872) Latin for foreign, exotic or strange, “the first instance of a true Gadoid being found in the East-Indian Archipelago”

Physiculus rastrelliger Gilbert 1890 rastrellum, diminutive of rastrum (L.), rake; –iger (L.), to bear, having small (i.e., slender and numerous) gill rakers

Physiculus rhodopinnis Okamura 1982 rhódon (ῥόδον), rose; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to its “deep red” fins (but basal half of pectoral and dorsal fins black)

Physiculus roseus Alcock 1891 Latin for rosy or pink, referring to its “uniform rose-red” coloration in life

Physiculus sazonovi Paulin 1991 in honor of Yuri (also spelled Yuriya) I. Sazonov (1950–2002), curator of ichthyology, Zoological Museum, Moscow State University, who established that this species is distinct from P. parini

Physiculus sterops Paulin 1989 stérops (στέροψ), flashing, referring to light organ on belly

Physiculus talarae Hildebrand & Barton 1949 of Talara, Peru, type locality

Physiculus therosideros Paulin 1987 therós (θέρος), summer; sídēros (σίδηρος), iron, named for the vessel Iron Summer, which conducted a deepwater survey for Queensland Fisheries Research (1982–1983) and collected specimens of this species

Physiculus yoshidae Okamura 1982 in honor of Miss Kiyoko Yoshida, who helped Okamura prepare the book in which this species was described

Pseudophycis Günther 1862 pseudo-, from pseúdēs (ψεύδης), false, presumably referring to similarity to and/or close relationship with Phycis (both placed in the family Gadidae at the time)

Pseudophycis bachus Forster 1801 Bloch & Schneider’s misspelling of Forster’s manuscript name, bacchus, named for Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, referring to wine-red color of body and fins shortly after capture (and lost soon after death)

Pseudophycis barbata Günther 1863 Latin for bearded, probably referring to its chin barbel [originally spelled barbatus; emended to agree with feminine genus]

Pseudophycis breviuscula (Richardson 1846) Latin for rather short, described as a “small ling,” reaching nearly 17.75 cm

Pseudophycis palmata (Klunzinger 1872) Latin for bearing palms or embroidered with palm-twigs, or scientific Neo-Latin for palmate, i.e., shaped like an open hand with the fingers extended, or having four or more lobes or leaflets radiating from a single point; allusion not explained nor evident

Pterophycis Ho 2019 ptero-, from pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), wing or fin, referring to diagnostic large pelvic fin; Phycis (Phycidae, see that entry), used here as a general term for a cod or cod-like fish

Pterophycis spatium Ho 2019 Latin for a space or distance, referring to clear gape between anus and genital papilla, unique in the family

Rhynchogadus Tortonese 1948 rhýnchos (ῥύγχος), snout, referring to upwardly arching snout; gadus, from gádos (γάδος), a hake, cod or similar gadiform fish [replacement name for Hypsirhynchus Facciolà 1884, preoccupied by Hypsirhynchus Günther 1858 in Reptilia]

Rhynchogadus hepaticus (Facciolà 1884) Latin for pertaining to the liver, referring to its “unusually large” (translation) liver

Salilota Günther 1887 etymology not explained, perhaps sal (L.), salt water or the sea, and Lota (a monotypic freshwater genus, Lotidae), i.e., a marine Lota, referring to how S. australis “forms a passage to Lota, from which it differs by an entirely different form of the head”

Salilota australis (Günther 1878) Latin for southern, referring to its occurrence in the Strait of Magellan (southern Chile)

Svetovidovia Cohen 1973 –ia (L. suffix), belonging to: eponym not identified but clearly in honor of Russian ichthyologist of Anatolii Nikolaevich Svetovidov (1903–1985), who published several papers on gadiform fishes

Svetovidovia lucullus (Jensen 1953) named for Lucullus (118–57/56 BC), a Roman consul and general famous for his wealth, luxury and banquets, allusion not explained nor evident [it is interesting to note that Jensen’s proposed (but unavailable) generic name for this species is also taken from the name of a Roman, Gargilius (d. 260 AD), a writer on horticulture, botany and medicine]

Tripterophycis Boulenger 1902 tri– (L.), three, and ptero-, from pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), wing or fin, referring to its three dorsal fins, “the first very small and on the nape, the second short and deep, behind the vertical of the vent, the third elongate and low, widely separated from the second and nearly reaching the caudal”; Phycis (Phycidae), referring to how Boulenger believed Tripterophycis occupied an “isolated position” among genera then placed in the subfamily Phycinae

Tripterophycis gilchristi Boulenger 1902 in honor of Scottish-born South African ichthyologist John Dow Fisher Gilchrist (1866–1926), who discovered this species but gave Boulenger the “pleasure” of describing it

Tripterophycis svetovidovi Sazonov & Shcherbachev 1986 in honor of the late Russian ichthyologist Anatolii Nikolaevich Svetovidov (1903–1985), who first confirmed the validity of the family Moridae and “made a great impact to its study” (translation)