Revised 27 Sept. 2025
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Ataxolepis Myers & Freihofer 1966 á– (ἄ), privative, i.e., without; táxis (τάξις), row or order; lepís (λεπίς), scale, referring to “irregularly arranged, irregularly shaped scales of different sizes covering the body and base of caudal fin in a mosaic-like pattern” of A. apus
Ataxolepis apus Myers & Freihofer 1966 á– (ἄ), privative, i.e., without; pus, from poús (πούς), foot (homologous to the ventral fins), referring to absence of ventral fins
Ataxolepis henactis Goodyear 1970 henós (ἑνός), genitive singular of heîs (εἷς), one; aktís (ἀκτίς), ray, referring to its single ventral-fin ray (compared with A. apus, which lacks ventral fins)
Cetichthys Paxton 1989 cetus (L.), from kḗtos (κῆτος), whale; ichthýs (ἰχθύς), fish, referring to whale-like body shape and mouth size, and a Greek translation of the common name “whalefish”
Cetichthys indagator (Rofen 1959) Latin for explorer, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to the Galathea Deep-Sea Expedition Round the World (1950–1952), during which holotype was collected [author previously known as Harry]
Cetichthys parini Paxton 1989 in honor of Nikolai Vasil’evich Parin (1932–2012), Russian Academy of Sciences, who provided Paxton a collection of cetomimids for study, and for his contributions to pelagic and deep-sea ichthyology
Cetomimus Goode & Bean 1895 ceto, from kḗtos (κῆτος), whale; mimus (L.), actor or mime, “similar in its vertical outline and proportions to that of the right whales (Balænidae), a resemblance which is greatly enhanced by the shape of the enormous mouth, and in the lower jaw strongly curved, projecting slightly beyond the snout”
Cetomimus compunctus Abe, Marumo & Kawaguchi 1965 Latin for pricked or pierced, presumably referring to how lateral line is “pierced by fairly large pores”
Cetomimus craneae Harry 1952 in honor of American carcinologist Jocelyn Crane (1909–1998), New York Zoological Society, for her work on deep-sea fishes [author later known as Rofen]
Cetomimus gillii Goode & Bean 1895 eponym not identified but almost certainly in honor of American zoologist Theodore Gill (1837–1914), Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C.)
Cetomimus hempeli Maul 1969 in honor of German marine biologist and oceanographer Gotthilf Hempel (b. 1929), leader of leg 6 of voyage 9c of the Meteor Seamount-Cruises, during which type was collected
Cetomimus kerdops Parr 1934 etymology not explained, possibly kerdṓ (κερδώ), weasel, and ṓps (ὦψ), eye or face (i.e., appearance); if so, allusion not evident
Cetomimus paxtoni Kobyliansky, Gordeeva & Mishin 2023 in honor of American-born Australian ichthyologist John R. Paxton (1938–2023), Australian Museum (Sydney), a “remarkable” ichthyologist, for his “outstanding” contribution to the study of fishes of the family Cetomimidae
Cetomimus picklei (Gilchrist 1922) in honor of the South African marine survey ship Pickle, which collected holotype
Cetomimus teevani Harry 1952 in honor of John Tee Van (1897–1967), Director of both the Bronx Zoo and the Coney Island Aquarium in New York City, for his “important part” in the Bermuda Oceanographic Expeditions, during which type was collected; he also made the expeditions’ collections available to Harry and provided “enthusiastic cooperation” in the preparation of his report [author later known as Rofen]
Cetostoma Zugmayer 1914 ceto, from kḗtos (κῆτος), whale; stóma (στόμα), mouth, presumably referring to its large, whale-like mouth
Cetostoma regani Zugmayer 1914 in honor of English ichthyologist Charles Tate Regan (1878–1943), Natural History Museum (London)
Danacetichthys Paxton 1989 Dana, Danish fishery research vessel, referring to the “fine early collection” of 33 whalefishes from the Dana Expeditions now at the University of Copenhagen; cetus (L.), from kḗtos (κῆτος), whale and ichthýs (ἰχθύς), fish, a Greek translation of the common name “whalefish”
Danacetichthys galathenus Paxton 1989 galathenós (γαλαθηνός), suckling, young, or unweaned, referring to the apparently immature state of all type specimens
Ditropichthys Parr 1934 di-, from dis (L.), in two, and trópis (τρόπις), keel, presumably referring to pair of thin folds along entire ventral edge of abdomen and/or folds over anal fin; ichthýs (ἰχθύς), fish
Ditropichthys storeri (Goode & Bean 1895) in honor of physician-naturalist David Humphreys Storer (1804–1891), in appreciation of the “distinguished services of this pioneer in American ichthyology, who began systematic work upon the fauna of the western Atlantic more than half a century ago”
Eutaeniophorus Bertelsen & Marshall 1958 eū́- (εὖ), well or very; taenia (L.), from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon; phorus, from phoreús (φορεύς), bearer or carrier, referring to several median caudal-fin rays prolonged into a ribbon-like streamer in at least larval and adolescent stages [replacement name for Taeniophorus Bertelsen & Marshall 1956, preoccupied by Taeniophorus Linnavuori 1952 in insects]
Eutaeniophorus festivus (Bertelsen & Marshall 1956) Latin for agreeable, pleasing or pretty, or lively, joyous or merry, allusion not explained nor evident
Gyrinomimus Parr 1934 gyrī́nos (γυρῖνος), tadpole; mimus (L.), actor or mime, referring to broad, depressed, tadpole-like head of G. myersi
Gyrinomimus andriashevi Fedorov, Balushkin & Trunov 1987 in honor of Russian ichthyologist Anatoly Petrovich Andriashev (1910–2009), a “distinguished authority” (translation) on fishes of the Antarctic (where this species occurs)
Gyrinomimus bruuni Rofen 1959 in honor of Danish oceanographer and ichthyologist Anton Frederick Bruun (1901–1961), leader of the Galathea Deep-Sea Expedition Round the World (1950-1952), during which holotype was collected, and “foremost investigator” of deep-sea marine life [author previously known as Harry]
Gyrinomimus grahami Richardson & Garrick 1964 in honor of David H. Graham (1887–1965), “veteran” New Zealand ichthyologist and marine biologist (type locality south of Cape Palliser, New Zealand)
Gyrinomimus myersi Parr 1934 in honor of American ichthyologist George S. Myers (1905-1985), then at the U.S. National Museum, who furnished Parr with measurements of the holotype of Cetomimus gillii
Gyrinomimus parri Bigelow 1961 in honor of Norwegian-born marine biologist Albert Eide Parr (1900–1991), who proposed the genus in 1934
Megalomycter Myers & Freihofer 1966 mégas (μέγας), large or great; myktḗr (μυκτήρ), nostril, referring to “great olfactory rosettes,” which cause the snout to appear “unusually swollen”
Megalomycter teevani Myers & Freihofer 1966 in honor of John Tee Van (1897–1967), Director of both the Bronx Zoo and the Coney Island Aquarium in New York City, for his work as the assistant to deep-sea explorer William Beebe (who collected holotype) and for “his many years of friendly help to ichthyology and ichthyologists”
Mirapinna Bertelsen & Marshall 1956 mirus (L.), wonderful or amazing; pinna (L.), fin, presumably referring to large and fan-shaped pelvic fins, each one with a “well developed muscular base forming a well-knit ventral unit with its partner, the pelvic bones fusing or being coupled by connective tissue but having no linkage with pectoral girdle”
Mirapinna esau Bertelsen & Marshall 1956 etymology not explained, presumably named for Esau, mentioned in the Book of Genesis and noted for his hairiness (his name is derived from the Arabic isaw, meaning rough or hairy), referring to “dense pile of hair-like outgrowths” covering nearly entire body [postlarva of Procetichthys kreffti Paxton 1989, thought to represent a separate species until 2009]
Notocetichthys Balushkin, Fedorov & Paxton 1989 nótos (nότος), south (from Nótos, Greek god of the south wind), referring to Antarctic occurrence of type specimens; cetus (L.), from kḗtos (κῆτος), whale, and ichthýs (ἰχθύς), fish, Greek translation of the common name “whalefish,” i.e., a southern whalefish
Notocetichthys trunovi Balushkin, Fedorov & Paxton 1989 in honor of Russian ichthyologist Ivan Andreevich Trunov (1936–2005), Atlantic Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, who collected the two type specimens
Parataeniophorus Bertelsen & Marshall 1956 pará (παρά), near, referring to its similarity to and/or close relationship with Taeniophorus (=Eutaeniophorus)
Parataeniophorus brevis Bertelsen & Marshall 1956 Latin for short, presumably referring to its shorter body length compared with P. gulosus, now recognized as a larval form of Cetostoma regani
Rhamphocetichthys Paxton 1989 rhámphos (ῥάμφος), beak or bill, referring to its beak-like snout; cetus (L.), from kḗtos (κῆτος), whale, and ichthýs (ἰχθύς), fish, Greek translation of the common name “whalefish”
Rhamphocetichthys savagei Paxton 1989 in honor of American herpetologist Jay M. Savage (b. 1928), University of Southern California, who gave Paxton “opportunity and encouragement as a student” and developed the midwater trawling program which collected two paratypes, for his contributions in biology
Vitiaziella Rass 1955 -iella (L.), diminutive connoting endearment: named for the Russian research vessel Vitiaz (also spelled Vityaz), which collected holotype
Vitiaziella cubiceps Rass 1955 cubus (L.), cube; -ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to its blunt, cube-shaped head