Updated 10 Feb. 2026
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Subfamily APOGONINAE Günther 1859
Apogon Lacepède 1801 ἀ-, privative, i.e., without; pṓgōn (πώγων), beard, presumed to be a mullet without chin barbels (type species, A. imberbis, is sometimes known as “king of the mullets”)
Apogon americanus Castelnau 1855 -anus (L.), belonging to: America, described from Bahia, Brazil, only member of genus then known from the “waters of America” (translation)
Apogon atradorsatus Heller & Snodgrass 1903 atra, from ater (L.), black; dorsatus (L), backed, presumably referring to black distal half of second dorsal fin
Apogon atricaudus Jordan & McGregor 1898 atri, from ater (L.), black; caudus (L.), tail, referring to its “dusky” caudal fin
Apogon aurolineatus (Mowbray 1927) auro-, from aurum (L.), gold; lineatus (L.), lined, referring to eight “well marked” golden stripes on sides
Apogon axillaris Valenciennes 1832 Latin for of an axil, referring to black spot at base of pectoral fin
Apogon binotatus (Poey 1867) bi-, from bis (L.), twice; notatus (L.), marked, referring to a thin dark-brown bar at end of second dorsal-fin base and another on the caudal peduncle
Apogon campbelli Smith 1949 in honor of George Gordon Campbell (1893–1977), South African physician and naturalist, “an active worker in the cause of marine biology” (he was instrumental in establishing the South African Marine Biological Association)
Apogon caudicinctus Randall & Smith 1988 cauda (L.), tail; cinctus (L.), belted or girdled, referring to broad blackish bar across posterior caudal peduncle and base of caudal fin, its most diagnostic color marking
Apogon ceramensis Bleeker 1852 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Ceram (now Seram), Indonesia, type locality
Apogon coccineus Rüppell 1838 Latin for red like a berry, referring to its ruby-red, semi-transparent body in life
Apogon crassiceps Garman 1903 crassus (L.), thick; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to its “large, thick” head
Apogon dammermani Weber & de Beaufort 1929 in honor of Dutch zoologist Karel Willem Dammerman (1885–1951), Director, Zoological Museum of Buitenzorg (Java), who loaned the authors the ichthyological collections under his charge, including holotype of this species
Apogon deetsie Randall 1998i n honor of Edith “Deetsie” Chave, Associate Director of the Honolulu Aquarium, who helped collect holotype, for her research on the ecology of apogonid fishes of the Hawaiian Islands [a noun in apposition without the genitive “ae”]
Apogon dianthus Fraser & Randall 2002 Dianthus, a genus of plants, some with pink flowers, referring to pink body color in life
Apogon doryssa (Jordan & Seale 1906) Latinization of doryssóos (δορυσσόος), brandishing the lance (i.e., spear bearer), referring to “very strong, flat, and sabre-like” dorsal-fin spine
Apogon dovii Günther 1862 in honor John Melmoth Dow (1827–1892), Panama Railroad Company, ship captain and amateur naturalist, who presented holotype to the British Museum [“w” Latinized as a “v”]
Apogon erythrinus Snyder 1904 -inus, Latin adjectival suffix: erythrós (ἐρυθρός), red, referring to its bright reddish color
Apogon erythrosoma Gon & Randall 2003 erythrós (ἐρυθρός), red; sṓma (σῶμα), body, referring to its transparent reddish-pink coloration in life
Apogon fugax Gon, Bogorodsky, Mal & Alpermann 2020 Latin for elusive, referring to how it avoided discovery despite intensive collecting efforts in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean
Apogon gouldi Smith-Vaniz 1977 in honor of Edwin Jay Gould (1932– 1993), real estate investor, wildlife conservationist and angler, sponsor of the Bermuda Expedition (1975), during which holotype was collected, for his participation in and support of ichthyological expeditions of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia
Apogon hypselonotus Bleeker 1855 hypsēlós (ὑψηλός), high; notus, from nṓtos (νῶτος), back, referring to its angular humped back (“dorso elevato angulato”)
Apogon imberbis (Linnaeus 1758) Latin for beardless, presumed to be a mullet without chin barbels (sometimes known as “king of the mullets”)
Apogon indicus Greenfield 2001 -icus (L.) suffix, belonging to: Indian Ocean, type locality and where it is the only member of the A. erythrinus complex
Apogon kautamea Greenfield & Randall 2004 from the Old Rapanui language of Easter Island, combining ‘kua’ta (transparent) and mea (red), referring to its transparent red coloration
Apogon kominatoensis Ebina 1935 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: tidepools at Kominato, Chiba, Japan, type locality
Apogon lachneri Böhlke 1959 in honor of Ernest A. Lachner (1916–1996), curator of fishes, U.S. National Museum, for his published work on Pacific apogonids and his continuing study of cardinalfishes on a worldwide basis
Apogon lativittatus Randall 2001 latus (L.), wide or broad; vittatus (L.), striped or banded, referring to broad blackish midlateral stripe on body and caudal fin, wider on average than that of A. semiornatus
Apogon leptocaulus Gilbert 1972 leptós (λεπτός), thin or slender; caulus (Late Latin), stem or stalk, referring to its unusually slender caudal peduncle
Apogon maculatus (Poey 1860) Latin for spotted, referring to black opercular spot, round black spot beneath second dorsal fin, and large black blotch in front of caudal peduncle
Apogon marquesensis Greenfield 2001 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Marquesas Islands, where it is endemic
Apogon mosavi Dale 1977 acronym for Mount Saint Vincent, recognizing the College of Mt. St. Vincent’s (Riverdale, New York, USA) annual summer course in marine biology, conducted in the Bahamas (type locality)
Apogon pacificus (Herre 1935) -icus (L.), belonging to: Eastern Pacific of the Galapagos Islands, type locality
Apogon phenax Böhlke & Randall 1968 phénax (φέναξ), cheat or imposter, similar in general appearance to the related A. planifrons
Apogon pillionatus Böhlke & Randall 1968 scientific Neo-Latin for provided with a pillion (a light posterior passenger saddle), referring to broad dusky marking over caudal peduncle
Apogon planifrons Longley & Hildebrand 1940 planus (L.) flat or level; frons (L.), forehead, referring to its depressed head and snout
Apogon posterofasciatus Allen & Randall 2002 postero-, from posterior (L.), coming after; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to a broad dusky bar at caudal-fin base
Apogon pseudomaculatus Longley 1932 pseudo-, from pseúdēs (ψεύδης), false, i.e., although similar to the closely related to A. maculatus, such an appearance is false
Apogon quadrisquamatus Longley 1934 quadri-, from quattuor (L.), four; squamatus (L.), scaled, referring to how all scales are ctenoid except for four in a median row before first dorsal fin and anterior in submedian row on either side
Apogon retrosella (Gill 1862) retro- (L.), behind; sella (L.), saddle, referring to saddle-like band under second dorsal fin
Apogon robbyi Gilbert & Tyler 1997 in honor of American ichthyologist C. Richard (“Robby”) Robins (1928–2020), University of Miami (Florida, USA), a “leading authority” on the evolution, taxonomy, and biology of freshwater and marine fishes, particularly those of the eastern North America and western Atlantic regions
Apogon robinsi Böhlke & Randall 1968 in honor of American ichthyologist C. Richard Robins (1928–2020), University of Miami (Florida, USA), for his “important” contributions to knowledge of West Atlantic fishes and his assistance during the authors’ apogonid study
Apogon rubellus (Smith 1961) Latin for reddish, referring to its “brilliant” color in life (uniform brown in alcohol)
Apogon rubrifuscus Greenfield & Randall 2004 ruber (L.), red; fuscus (L.), dark or dusky, referring to red body color overlaid by black pigment on posterior 2/3 of body
Apogon seminigracaudus Greenfield 2007 semi-, from semis (L.), a half or moiety; niger (L.), dark or black; caudus (L.), tail, referring to black pigment on lower half of caudal fin
Apogon semiornatus Peters 1876 semi-, from semis (L.), a half or moiety; ornatus (L.), decorated, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to broad reddish-brown stripe that extends halfway across body, from snout through anal-fin base
Apogon soloriens Yoshida & Motomura 2020 Latin for rising sun, referring to its reddish-orange body color in life
Apogon susanae Greenfield 200 1in honor of Susan G. Mondon, scientific illustrator, Department of Zoology, University of Hawaii, who prepared many illustrations for Greenfield, including the ones in the paper in which this species was described
Apogon talboti Smith 1961 in honor of fisheries scientist Frank Talbot (1930–2024), South African Museum, who sent many “valuable” specimens to Smith, including type of this species, which he may have acquired by “bombing? at coral” (question mark in Smith’s text)
Apogon townsendi (Breder 1927) in honor of Charles H. Townsend (1859–1944), Breder’s “chief” at the New York Aquarium
Apogon tricinctus (Allen & Erdmann 2012) tri– (L.), three; cinctus (L.), belted or girdled (but treated as a noun by the authors), referring to three dark bands on middle of body
Apogon unicolor Steindachner & Döderlein 1883 uni-, from unus (L.), one, presumably referring to its uniform coloration, i.e., lacking the brown bars of A. bifasciatus (=Apogonichthyoides taeniatus), with which it had been confused
Apogonichthyoides Smith 1949 -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: presumably similar to Apogonichthys but with truncated (instead of rounded) caudal fin
Apogonichthyoides atripes (Ogilby 1916) atri-, from ater (L.), black; pes (L.), foot (homologous to the ventral fin), referring to its black ventral fins (dorsal and anal fins also black) [replacement name for Apogon nigripes Ogilby 1911, preoccupied by Apogon (now Ostorhinchus) nigripes Playfair 1867]
Apogonichthyoides brevicaudatus (Weber 1909) brevis (L.), short; caudatus (L.), tailed, referring to short (in length) but tall (in height) caudal peduncle
Apogonichthyoides cantoris (Bleeker 1851) -is, Latin genitive singular of: Danish naturalist Theodor Edvard Cantor (1809-1860), for his contributions to the knowledge of fishes from the Strait of Malacca
Apogonichthyoides cathetogramma (Tanaka 1917) catheto-, from káthetos (κάθετος), perpendicular or upright; gramma, scientific Neo-Latin derived from grammḗ (γραμμή), line or stroke of the pen, presumably referring to two indefinite broad, dark crossbands on sides of body, both directing “downward and forward” (translation)
Apogonichthyoides chrysurus (Ogilby 1889) gold-tailed, from chrysós (χρυσός), gold or golden, and ourá (οὐρά), tail, referring to “brilliant orange” basal third of caudal fin
Apogonichthyoides enigmaticus Smith 1961 Latin for obscure or mysterious, reflecting Smith’s hesitation to describe it as new in view of the poor condition of the only specimen he has, and his failure to locate others
Apogonichthyoides erdmanni Fraser & Allen 2011 in honor of marine biologist Mark V. Erdmann (b. 1968), Conservation International, Indonesia Marine Program, who collected and photographed holotype; he has worked closely with the second author and is responsible for numerous new discoveries, resulting from his deep scuba collections around the East Indian region
Apogonichthyoides euspilotus (Fraser 2006) well-spotted, from eū́– (εὖ), well or very, and spilōtós (σπιλωτός), marked or stained, referring to multiple darkish spots on body
Apogonichthyoides gardineri (Regan 1908) in honor of British zoologist John Stanley Gardiner (1872–1946), who collected many species of Indian Ocean fishes for the British Museum, including holotype of this one
Apogonichthyoides heptastygma (Cuvier 1828) heptá (ἑπτά), seven; stygma, alternate spelling of stígma (στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to two black spots on tail and five black spots at base of dorsal fin (these latter spots usually diffuse into aggregates of several small melanophores) [often incorrectly spelled heptastigma]
Apogonichthyoides maculipinnis (Regan 1908) macula (L.), spot; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to small dark spots on anal, ventral and soft dorsal fins, and numerous dark “dots” on caudal fin
Apogonichthyoides melas (Bleeker 1848) mélas (μέλας), black, referring to black body and fin coloration
Apogonichthyoides miniatus Fraser 2010 Latin for painted with bright or cinnabar red, referring to general coloration of head, body and fins
Apogonichthyoides niger (Döderlein 1883) Latin for dark or black, referring to color of dorsal, ventral and anal fins
Apogonichthyoides nigripinnis (Cuvier 1828) niger (L.), dark or black; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to black dorsal and anal fins
Apogonichthyoides opercularis (Macleay 1878) Latin for opercular, presumably referring to “margaritaceous patch with a black patch above it” on operculum
Apogonichthyoides pharaonis (Bellotti 1874) -is, Latin genitive singular of: pharao, Latin spelling of pharaoh, presumably referring to type locality in the Gulf of Suez, Suez, Egypt
Apogonichthyoides pseudotaeniatus (Gon 1986) pseudo-, from pseúdēs (ψεύδης), false, i.e., although similar in appearance to and previously identified as A. taeniatus, such an appearance is false
Apogonichthyoides regani (Whitley 1951) in honor of English ichthyologist Charles Tate Regan (1878–1943), Natural History Museum (London), who described this species as Apogon punctatus in 1908 but used a preoccupied name: A. punctatus (now Vincentia punctata) Klunzinger 1879
Apogonichthyoides sialis (Jordan & Thompson 1914) from síalos (σίᾰλος), a porker or fat pig, or fat (noun), but sometimes used as an adjective (i.e., plump), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to deep body, nearly equal in depth to length of head
Apogonichthyoides taeniatus (Cuvier 1828) Latin for banded, referring to longitudinal brown bars on sides
Apogonichthyoides timorensis (Bleeker 1854) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Timor Island (Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia, eastern Indian Ocean), type locality
Apogonichthyoides umbratilis Fraser & Allen 2010 Latin for in the shade (i.e., retired or private), referring to its observed cryptic behavior, sheltering between rocks and rubble at least during daylight hours
Apogonichthyoides uninotatus (Smith & Radcliffe 1912) uni-, from unus (L.), one; notatus (L.), marked, referring to round blackish blotch midway between lateral line and pectoral fin
Apogonichthys Bleeker 1854 ichthýs (ἰχθύς), fish, closely related to Apogon
Apogonichthys ahimsa Whitley 1959 Sanskrit term meaning nonviolence or non-injury, allusion not explained but clearly evoked in Whitley’s suggested vernacular name: Gentle Gobbleguts
Apogonichthys landoni Herre 1934 in honor of Maj. Robert Roberts Landon (1873–1938), engineer who came to Cebu, Philippines, during the Philippine-American War (1899–1902) and co-founded Visayan Electric Company in 1905; Herre described him as a friend, “to whose co-operation I am greatly indebted” [placed in Foa by some workers]
Apogonichthys ocellatus (Weber 1913) Latin for having little eyes (ocelli), referring to ocellus (eyespot) on first dorsal fin
Apogonichthys perdix Bleeker 1854 Perdix, genus of gamebirds known collectively as the true partridges, allusion not explained, perhap referring to its partridge-like mottled brown color
Apogonichthys waikiki Jordan & Evermann 1903 named for Waikiki, Oahu Island, Hawaiian Islands, type locality
Archamia Gill 1863 archós (ἀρχός), anus, i.e., having more anal-fin rays than Amia, a nonbinominal name applied to Apogon by Gronow (1763), now a commonly used suffix in the family
Archamia bleekeri (Günther 1859) in honor of Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker (1819–1878), who provisionally identified this species as Apogon macropterus (=Taeniamia macroptera) in 1851
Astrapogon Fowler 1907 astḗr (ἀστήρ), star, referring to star-like spots (with silver centers) on A. stellatus, proposed as a subgenus of Apogon
Astrapogon alutus (Jordan & Gilbert 1882) Latinization of áloutos (ἄλουτος), unwashed, referring to body and fins “everywhere much soiled and freckled with dark points”
Astrapogon puncticulatus (Poey 1867) Latin for dotted, referring to body and fins (except ventral) heavily stippled with black dots
Astrapogon stellatus (Cope 1867) Latin for studded with stars, referring to series of dark brown spots on edges of scales of each row (except lateral line), each with a silver center
Cercamia Randall & Smith 1988 cerc-, from kérkos (κέρκος), tail, referring to elongate tail resulting from unique vertebral count with one fewer abdominal and one more caudal vertebrae than other cardinalfishes; Amia, a nonbinominal name applied to Apogon by Gronow (1763), now a commonly used suffix in the family
Cercamia cladara Randall & Smith 1988 from kladarós (κλαδαρός), frail or easily broken, referring to its deciduous scales and weak fin spines
Cercamia eremia (Allen 1987) from érēmos (ἔρημος), solitary, referring to its cryptic, solitary habits, in contrast to the sympatric Verulux cypselurus and Rhabdamia gracilis, which occur in aggregations
Cercamia laamu Fraser, Bogorodsky, Mal & Alpermann 2021 named for Laamu, one of the islands making up the Hadhdhunmathee (Haddhunmathi) Atoll, Maldives, type locality
Cercamia mascarene Fraser, Bogorodsky, Mal & Alpermann 2021 named for Mascarene, geographic area in southwestern Indian Ocean where Rodrigues Island (only known area of occurrence) is situated
Cercamia melanogaster Allen, Erdmann & Mahardini 2015 mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; gastḗr (γαστήρ), belly or stomach, referring to its black abdomen, “the most conspicuous colour pattern feature of this otherwise mainly transparent fish”
Cercamia spio Fraser, Bogorodsky, Mal & Alpermann 2021 named for Spio, a mythical sea nymph, daughter of Nereus and Doris, the Nereid of sea caves, referring to its usually being seen in the vicinity of a cave, at depths of 10–30 m
Cheilodipterus Lacepède 1801 cheī́los (χεῖλος), lip, referring to extensible upper lip of C. lineatus; di-, from dýo (δύο), two, and pterus, from pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to two dorsal fins (common to all cardinalfishes)
Cheilodipterus alleni Gon 1993 in honor of American-born Australian ichthyologist Gerald R. Allen (b. 1942), Western Australia Museum (Perth), who collected type specimens and recognized their uniqueness
Cheilodipterus arabicus (Gmelin 1789) -icus (L.), belonging to: Arabia, described from the Red Sea off Saudi Arabia
Cheilodipterus artus Smith 1961 Latin for compressed or close together, presumably referring to how its stripes are closer together compared with C. lineatus
Cheilodipterus heptazona Bleeker 1849 heptá (ἑπτά), seven; zona (L.), belt or girdle, referring to seven (actually 8–9) longitudinal stripes on body
Cheilodipterus intermedius Gon 1993 Latin for intermediate, referring to its “close relationship” with C. alleni, C. artus and C. macrodon, combining characters of these species
Cheilodipterus isostigmus (Schultz 1940) ísos (ἴσος), equal; stigmus,from stígma (στίγμα) or stigmḗ (στιγμή), mark or spot, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to black spot at midbase of caudal-fin rays, which appears to be equal in size to its similarly black eyes
Cheilodipterus lachneri Klausewitz 1959 in honor of Ernest A. Lachner (1916–1996), curator of fishes, U.S. National Museum, who studied the closely related C. arabicus and C. lineatus (both of which had been confused with this species) and worked out the essential differences between them
Cheilodipterus lineatus Lacepède 1801 Latin for lined, referring to 7–10 dark-brown stripes on body
Cheilodipterus macrodon (Lacepède 1802) macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to single row of long, sharp teeth on each jaw, longer than villiform teeth of presumed congeners in Centropomus (Carangiformes: Centropomidae)
Cheilodipterus nigrotaeniatus Smith & Radcliffe 1912 nigro-, from niger (L.), dark or black; taeniatus (L.), banded, referring to four black longitudinal stripes in life
Cheilodipterus novemstriatus (Rüppell 1838) novem (L.), nine; striatus (L.), grooved or furrowed (i.e., striped), referring to one longitudinal stripe from above orbit to end of second dorsal fin, and four pairs of stripes on each side, for a total of nine
Cheilodipterus octovittatus Cuvier 1828 octo, from oktṓ (ὀκτώ), eight; vittatus (L.), banded, referring to eight blackish longitudinal stripes from region of eye to black spot on tail
Cheilodipterus parazonatus Gon 1993 pará (παρά), near, referring to its similar color pattern with that of C. zonatus
Cheilodipterus persicus Gon 1993 -icus (L.), belonging to: Persian Gulf, where it appears to be endemic
Cheilodipterus pygmaios Gon 1993 pygmaī́os (πυγμαῖος), small or dwarfish, referring to small adult size, up to 50 mm SL, smallest in the genus
Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus Cuvier 1828 quinque (L.), five; lineatus (L.), lined, referring to five narrow dark-brown stripes on body
Cheilodipterus singapurensis Bleeker 1860 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Singapore, type locality
Cheilodipterus subulatus Weber 1909 scientific Neo-Latin for subulate (slender and tapering to a point), presumably referring to its “lancet-like” (translation) canine teeth
Cheilodipterus zonatus Smith & Radcliffe 1912 Latin for banded, referring to black stripe around snout through eye to below end of lateral line, a less distinct stripe from above eye to upper caudal-fin base, and trace of a median stripe in front of dorsal fin
Fibramia Fraser & Mabuchi 2014 fibra (L.) thread or filament, referring to elongate second dorsal-fin spine of F. thermalis and narrow, pale or dark mid-line on bodies of F. amboinensis and F. lateralis; Amia, a nonbinominal name applied to Apogon by Gronow (1763), now a commonly used suffix in the family
Fibramia amboinensis (Bleeker 1853) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Ambon Island, Molucca Islands, Indonesia, type locality
Fibramia lateralis (Valenciennes 1832) Latin for of the side, presumably referring to fine black line running from shoulder to middle of tail
Fibramia thermalis (Cuvier 1829) Neo-Latin for of or relating to hot springs or water, referring to occurrence in the warm springs of Cania, Sri Lanka (type locality)
Foa Jordan & Evermann 1905 from fō, Samoan name for cardinalfishes
Foa brachygramma (Jenkins 1903) brachýs (βραχύς), short; gramma, scientific Neo-Latin derived from grammḗ (γραμμή), line or stroke of the pen, referring to short lateral line, comprising an anterior portion of ~10 tubes below front of second dorsal fin and a posterior portion of “very rudimentary tubes” at base of caudal fin
Foa fo Jordan & Seale 1905 fō, Samoan name for cardinalfishes [at just five characters, the shortest binomen of any Recent fish species]
Foa hyalina (Smith & Radcliffe 1912) from hyálinos (ὑάλινος), of crystal (here meaning glassy or transparent), referring to its “hyalin pearl” ground color in life
Foa leisi Fraser & Randall 2011 in honor of Jeffrey M. Leis (b. 1949), Australian Museum (Sydney), who led larval-fish research in atolls in French Polynesia, showing that Foa and other reef fishes can complete their development within lagoons
Foa longimana Weber 1909 longus (L.), long; manus (L.), hand, referring to long pectoral fins, almost as long as body height
Foa madagascariensis Petit 1931 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: off Sarodrano, Tuléar, Madagascar, type locality
Foa nivosa Fraser & Randall 2011 Latin for snowy or full of snow, referring to numerous whitish spots on body
Foa winterbottomi Fraser 2020 in honor of Zambian-born Canadian ichthyologist Richard Winterbottom (b. 1944), Royal Ontario Museum, who has collected and photographed many species of apogonids and is one of the authors of extensive checklists of fishes from Chagos Archipelago
Foa yamba Fraser 2014 Australian aboriginal name of uncertain meanings, one of which refers to a kind of oyster, the other to the headland near the river mouth, which is the name of the city at the mouth of the Clarence River, New South Wales, type locality
Fowleria Jordan & Evermann 1903 -ia (L. suffix), belonging to: American ichthyologist Henry Weed Fowler (1878–1965), Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, and a student of Jordan’s at Stanford University
Fowleria amblyuroptera (Bleeker 1853) amblýs (ἀμβλύς), blunt; uro, from ourá (οὐρά), tail; ptera, from pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin (here treated as an adjective, finned), presumably referring to blunt and convex shape of caudal fin
Fowleria aurita (Valenciennes 1831) Latin for eared, referring to black spot, surrounded by a circle of silver, on operculum
Fowleria flammea Allen 1993 Latin for flaming or fiery (but proposed as a noun, fire), referring to red color pattern in life
Fowleria isostigma (Jordan & Seale 1906) ísos (ἴσος), equal; stígma (στίγμα), mark or spot, presumably referring to large distinct spots on body, about one on each scale, arranged in regular lines
Fowleria marmorata (Alleyne & Macleay 1877) Latin for marbled, referring to reddish-yellow body “transversely marbled with brown”
Fowleria polystigma (Bleeker 1854) polý– (πολύ), many; stígma (στίγμα), mark or spot, presumably referring to blackish-brown dots on scales
Fowleria punctulata (Rüppell 1838) diminutive of punctum (L.), spot, i.e., having tiny spots, referring to many “closely packed bouquet-green dots” on body (translation)
Fowleria vaiulae (Jordan & Seale 1906) in honor of Vaiula, a Samoan fisherman at Apia, Upolu Island, Samoa Islands, type locality
Fowleria variegata (Valenciennes 1832) Latin for “of different sorts” (particularly colors), referring to reddish body color mottled with “varied cloudy spots” (translation)
Glossamia Gill 1863 glṓssa (γλῶσσα), tongue, referring to small patch of teeth on tongue of G. aprion; Amia, a nonbinominal name applied to Apogon by Gronow (1763), now a commonly used suffix in the family
Glossamia abo (Herre 1935) local name for this fish at Koragu, Sepik River, New Guinea, type locality
Glossamia aprion (Richardson 1842) ἀ-, privative, i.e., without; príōn (πρίων), saw, referring to “total absence of serrations” on preoperculum
Glossamia arguni Hadiaty & Allen 2011 named freshwater streams in the Arguni Bay region of West Papua Province, Indonesia, type locality
Glossamia beauforti (Weber 1907) in honor of Weber’s colleague Lieven Ferdinand de Beaufort (1879–1968), University of Amsterdam, who illustrated this species while participating in the Dutch North New Guinea Expedition (1903), during which holotype was collected
Glossamia gillii (Steindachner 1867) patronym not identified but almost certainly in honor of American zoologist Theodore Gill (1837–1914), Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C.)
Glossamia gjellerupi (Weber & de Beaufort 1929) in honor of Danish health officer Knud Gjellerup (1876–1950), who collected fishes for Weber and de Beaufort (but it is not clear if he collected this one)
Glossamia heurni (Weber & de Beaufort 1929) in honor of Dutch zoologist Willem Cornelis van Heurn (1887–1972), who collected fishes for Weber and de Beaufort in New Guinea (but it is not clear if he collected this one)
Glossamia narindica Roberts 1978 naris (L.), nostril; indica, India, as in India ink, referring to large, well-defined, intensely black spot immediately ventrolateral to posterior nostril (Tyson R. Roberts, pers. comm.)
Glossamia sandei (Weber 1907) in honor of Dutch army physician and anthropologist Gijsbert van der Sande (1863–1910), who participated in the Dutch North New Guinea Expedition (1903), during which holotype was collected
Glossamia timika Allen, Hortle & Renyaan 2000 named for the Timika region of Papua, Indonesia, where it occurs
Glossamia trifasciata (Weber 1913) tri– (L.), three; fasciata (L.), banded, referring to three transverse bands: between first dorsal and ventral fins, second dorsal and anal fins, and end of caudal peduncle
Glossamia wichmanni (Weber 1907) in honor of German geologist-mineralogist Carl Ernst Arthur Wichmann (1851–1927), who participated in the Dutch North New Guinea Expedition (1903), during which holotype was collected (he also edited the publication in which the description appeared)
Jaydia Smith 1961 etymology not explained nor evident
Jaydia albomarginata (Smith & Radcliffe 1912) albus (L.), white; marginata (L.), edged or bordered, referring to white margins on ventral and anal fins, and distinct white lower edge on caudal fin
Jaydia argyrogaster (Weber 1909) árgyros (ἄργυρος), white metal (i.e., silver); gastḗr (γαστήρ), belly or stomach, referring to subcutaneous silver luster on abdomen (which Weber did not realize is a bioluminescent organ)
Jaydia carinata (Cuvier 1828) Latin for keeled, referring to a succession of small hulls on scales
Jaydia catalai (Fourmanoir 1973) in honor of René Catala (1901–1988), director of the biological station at Nouméa, New Caledonia, who collected holotype
Jaydia ellioti (Day 1875) in honor of British naturalist Walter Elliot (1803–1887), “formerly of the Madras Civil Service, who most liberally placed at my disposal the whole of his beautiful and accurate coloured illustrations of the Fishes of Madras and Waltair which he had had executed by native artists from the fresh specimens,” including an illustration of this species
Jaydia erythrophthalma Gon, Liao & Shao 2015 red-eyed, from erythrós (ἐρυθρός), red, and ophthalmós (ὀφθαλμός), eye, referring to its reddish-orange iris
Jaydia fuscomaculata (Allen & Morrison 1996) fuscus (L.), dark or dusky; maculata (L.), spotted, referring to 3–4 rows of large, irregular brown spots on sides
Jaydia heraldi (Herre 1943) in honor of American ichthyologist Earl S. Herald (1914–1973), an “able and enthusiastic student of pipefishes” (although, of course, this species is not a pipefish)
Jaydia hungi (Fourmanoir & Do-Thi 1965) in honor of Nguyen Dinh Hung, former director of the Vietnamese Oceanographic Institute, who hired the authors to study the fishes in the Institute’s collection, which included holotype of this species
Jaydia lineata (Temminck & Schlegel 1843) Latin for lined, referring to 8–10 brownish vertical lines on body
Jaydia melanopus (Weber 1911) mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; poús (πούς), foot (homologous to the ventral fins), referring to its black ventral fins
Jaydia novaeguineae (Valenciennes 1832) of Papua New Guinea, type locality
Jaydia photogaster (Gon & Allen 1998) phōtō– (φωτω-), combining form of phṓs (φῶς), light; gastḗr (γαστήρ), belly or stomach, referring to its “ventral bioluminescent system”
Jaydia poeciloptera (Cuvier 1828) poecilio-, from poikílos (ποικίλος), varicolored; ptera, from pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin (here treated as an adjective, finned), referring to spots at base of second dorsal fin
Jaydia quartus (Fraser 2000) Latin for fourth, referring to the longest of its seven first-dorsal fin spines
Jaydia queketti (Gilchrist 1903) patronym not identified, probably in honor of London-born conchologist John Frederick Whitlie Quekett (1849–1913), Curator, Durban Museum (South Africa)
Jaydia smithi (Kotthaus 1970) in honor of J. L. B. Smith (1897–1968), South African ichthyologist-chemist, for his 1961 monograph on the apogonids of the Indian Ocean (in which this genus was proposed)
Jaydia striata (Smith & Radcliffe 1912) Latin for striated (marked with long, thin parallel streaks), referring to 10 “bistre” (brown-yellow) bands crossing body
Jaydia striatodes (Gon 1997) -odes, alternative spelling of –oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: referring to close resemblance of its color pattern to that of J. striata
Jaydia tchefouensis (Fang 1942) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Chefoo (Tche-Fou, now known as Yantai), Shantung Province, China, type locality
Jaydia truncata (Bleeker 1855) Latin for truncate, referring to its truncated caudal fin compared with most of its presumed congeners in Apogon
Lachneratus Fraser & Struhsaker 1991 -atus (L.), having the nature of: Ernest A. Lachner (1916-1996), i.e., Lachnerian, Curator Emeritus of fishes, U.S. National Museum, for his contributions to the systematics of Indo-West Pacific cardinalfishes
Lachneratus phasmaticus Fraser & Struhsaker 1991 Neo-Latin for phantom-like, referring to its “elusive phantomlike nature” (known from single specimens collected in 1964 and 1974, its identity proved elusive until more specimens were located in 1982 and 1983)
Lepidamia Gill 1863 from lepídos (λεπίδος), genitive of lepίs (λεπίς), scale, i.e., having more lateral line scales than Amia, a nonbinominal name applied to Apogon by Gronow (1763), now a commonly used suffix in the family
Lepidamia kalosoma (Bleeker 1852) kállos (κάλλος), beauty; sṓma (σῶμα), body, referring to how its golden body is “very beautifully marked” (translation) with two wider and several narrower longitudinal bands
Lepidamia multitaeniata (Cuvier 1828) multi– (L.), many; taeniatus (L.), banded, referring to multiple brown longitudinal lines on pink body
Lepidamia natalensis (Gilchrist & Thompson 1908) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, southwestern Indian Ocean, type locality
Lepidamia omanensis (Gon & Mee 1995) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Indian Ocean off Oman, where it appears to be endemic
Neamia Smith & Radcliffe 1912 éos (νέος), new; Amia, a nonbinominal name applied to Apogon by Gronow (1763), now a commonly used suffix in the family, i.e., a new Amia
Neamia articycla Fraser & Allen 2006 artios (ἄρτιος), complete or perfect; cycla, from kyklos (κύκλος), referring to dark spot on opercle, its edge forming a complete or perfect circle
Neamia notula Fraser & Allen 2001 diminutive of nota (L.), mark, referring to spot on opercle
Neamia octospina Smith & Radcliffe 1912 octo, from oktṓ (ὀκτώ), eight; spina (L.), thorn or spine, referring to eight first-dorsal fin spines, compared with seven on Fowleria
Neamia xenica Fraser 2010 xenikós (ξενικός), strange or foreign (i.e., different), referring to its depth of capture more than twice as deep as any other species of Neamia
Nectamia Jordan 1917 etymology not explained, perhaps nḗktēs (νήκτης), swimmer, allusion not evident (Nectamia are not particularly strong swimmers); Amia, a nonbinominal name applied to Apogon by Gronow (1763), now a commonly used suffix in the family
Nectamia annularis (Rüppell 1829) Latin for ring-shaped, referring to silver-colored ring around pupil of eye and/or broad black-brown “ring” at base of tail
Nectamia bandanensis (Bleeker 1854) -ensis, Latin suffix denotin place: Banda Neira (Banda Islands, Indonesia), type locality
Nectamia fusca (Quoy & Gaimard 1825) Latin for dusky, dark or swarthy, referring to its brown body color
Nectamia ignitops Fraser 2008 ignitus (L.), glowing (of a fire); ṓps (ὦψ), eye, referring to color of iris
Nectamia luxuria Fraser 2008 Latin for luxury, extravagance or excess, (i.e., profusion), referring to its numerous pale bars
Nectamia savayensis (Günther 1872) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Savay (now Savai‘i) Island, Samoa, type locality
Nectamia similis Fraser 2008 Latin for like or similar, referring to pale bars on body similar to N. luxuria, and saddles and caudal mark similar to N. bandanensis
Nectamia viria Fraser 2008 Latin for a type of bracelet or armlet often worn by men in antiquity, referring to band around caudal peduncle
Nectamia zebrina (Fraser, Randall & Lachner 1999) derived from the Amharic zebra, referring to its zebra-like color pattern (“somewhat variable” dark and light bars on body)
Ostorhinchus Lacepède 1802 osteo-, from ostéon (ὀστέον), bone; rhynchus, from rhýnchos (ῥύγχος), snout, referring to bony jaws of O. fleurieu, very much advanced and jagged, taking the place of teeth
Subgenus Ostorhinchus
Ostorhinchus angustatus (Smith & Radcliffe 1911) Latin for narrowed, probably referring to “narrower” interorbital and/or “narrower” stripes compared to Amia robusta (=O. cookii)
Ostorhinchus aphanes Fraser 2012 aphanḗs (ἀφανής), invisible, secret or unknown (Fraser said obscure), referring to difficulty of identifying this species without carefully examining premaxillary and dentary teeth
Ostorhinchus apogonoides (Bleeker 1856) -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: Apogon, i.e., related to that genus
Ostorhinchus aroubiensis (Hombron & Jacquinot 1853) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Aroub, Malaysia, type locality
Ostorhinchus aterrimus (Günther 1867) superlative of ater (L.), black, i.e., very black, referring to its entirely uniform deep-black coloration
Ostorhinchus atrogaster (Smith & Radcliffe 1912) atro-, from ater (L.), black; gastḗr (γαστήρ), belly or stomach, referring to its “jet black” stomach
Ostorhinchus aureus (Lacepède 1802) Latin for golden, referring to its “golden copper-red” color (translation)
Ostorhinchus brevispinis (Fraser & Randall 2003) brevis (L.), short; spinis, from spinus (L.), thorn, referring to “tiny” first dorsal-fin spine
Ostorhinchus bryx (Fraser 1998) brýx (βρύξ), the depths of the sea, referring to relatively deep water (146–155 m) from which it was collected
Ostorhinchus capricornis (Allen & Randall 1993) -is (L.), genitive singular of: Capricorn Group of islands, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, where most known specimens occur
Ostorhinchus cavitensis (Jordan & Seale 1907) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Cavite (presumably Cavite La Punta, a peninsula), Luzon Island, Philippines, type locality
Ostorhinchus chalcius (Fraser & Randall 1986) alternate spelling of chalceus (L.), brazen or of brass, referring to its coloration in life, “bronze, becoming coppery on head and base of caudal fin”
Ostorhinchus cheni (Hayashi 1990) in honor of Jen-Ping Chen, Institute of Zoology of Academia Sinica, for his studies on the apogonids of Taiwan; he also loaned specimens for study
Ostorhinchus chrysopomus (Bleeker 1854) chrysós (χρυσός), gold; pṓma (πῶμα), lid or cover, i.e., opercle, referring to orange spots on cheek of adults
Ostorhinchus chrysotaenia (Bleeker 1851) chrysós (χρυσός), gold; taenia, from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to golden lines or bands running from head to tail (in juveniles)
Ostorhinchus cladophilos (Allen & Randall 2002) clado-, from kládos (κλάδος), branch; philos (φίλος), friend or fond of, referring to its habit of sheltering among branches of antipatharian and alcyonarian corals as well as sea urchins
Ostorhinchus compressus (Smith & Radcliffe 1911) Latin for squeezed or pressed together, referring to its “strongly compressed” body
Ostorhinchus cookii (Macleay 1881) patronym not identified but almost certainly in honor of James Cook (1728–1779), British explorer, navigator, cartographer and naval captain, who named the type locality (Endeavour River, Queensland, Australia) after his ship, HMS Endeavour, when he was forced to beach it there for repairs in 1770
Ostorhinchus cyanosoma (Bleeker 1853) cyano-, from kýanos (κύανος), dark blue; sṓma (σῶμα), body, referring to blue-tinged body color in life (with six orange-yellow stripes)
Ostorhinchus cyanotaenia (Bleeker 1853) cyano-, from kýanos (κύανος), dark blue; taenia, from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to blue longitudinal streaks on head
Ostorhinchus dispar (Fraser & Randall 1976) Latin for dissimilar, referring to its unusual shape (somewhat compressed) and body color (semi-transparent pinkish with a narrow reddish midlateral stripe from tip of snout ending in a large red spot on caudal peduncle) compared with presumed congeners in Apogon
Ostorhinchus diversus (Smith & Radcliffe 1912) Latin for opposite or contrary(i.e., different), a “trim little fish [that] appears to be quite distinct from related forms, distinguishable by its coloration and deep, compressed body”
Ostorhinchus elizabethae (Jordan & Seale 1905) a “pretty” species named in honor of Miss Elizabeth Putnam (no other information available), for her “deep interest in biological research”
Ostorhinchus doederleini (Jordan & Snyder 1901) in honor of German zoologist Ludwig Döderlein (1855–1936), formerly connected with the Imperial University at Tokyo, for his “assiduous” work on the fishes of Japan
Ostorhinchus endekataenia (Bleeker 1852) éndeka (ένδεκα), eleven; taenia (L.), from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to 11 blackish longitudinal bands on body
Ostorhinchus fasciatus (Shaw 1790) Latin for banded, referring to longitudinal brown bands on body
Ostorhinchus flagelliferus Smith 1961 flagellum, diminutive of flagrum (L.), whip; ferus, from fero (L.), to have or bear, referring to its “usually” filamentous second dorsal-fin ray
Ostorhinchus flavus (Allen & Randall 1993) Latin for yellow, referring to the color that covers most of its body
Ostorhinchus fleurieu Lacepède 1802 in honor of “celebrated” colleague and friend Charles Pierre Claret, comte de Fleurieu (1738–1810), French explorer and hydrographer, “for his [published] works, which have enriched navigators, geographers and naturalists, and especially for his recently published and beautiful” Nomenclature of the Oceans (translations) [a noun in apposition, without the genitive “i”]
Ostorhinchus franssedai (Allen, Kuiter & Randall 1994) in honor of Franciscus “Frans” Seda (1926–2009), Indonesian politician, government minister, and owner of Flores Sao Wisata Resort (near outer Maumere Bay, Flores, Indonesia, type locality), who encouraged the study of Maumere Bay fishes and provided logistical support during the authors’ visits
Ostorhinchus fukuii (Hayashi 1990) in honor of Syojiro Fukui, Japan Ichthyological Society, who collected holotype
Ostorhinchus griffini (Seale 1910) in honor of American herpetologist Lawrence Edmonds Griffin (1874–1949), who collected holotype
Ostorhinchus gularis (Fraser & Lachner 1984) Neo-Latin for throated or of the throat, referring to position of anus, which approaches the thoracic region
Ostorhinchus hartzfeldii (Bleeker 1852) in honor of German physician Joseph Hartzfeld (1815–1885), Principal Medical Officer of the Royal Dutch East Indies Army, whose collections, Bleeker said, improved the scientific knowledge of Ambon Island’s fish fauna
Ostorhinchus hoevenii (Bleeker 1854) in honor of Bleeker’s Dutch colleague, zoologist Jan van der Hoeven (1801–1868)
Ostorhinchus holotaenia (Regan 1905) hólos (ὅλος), whole or entire; taenia, from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to black bands on body, one of which runs entire length of body, from tip of snout through eye and along middle of side to end of caudal fin (in contrast to shorter bands on the similar O. fasciatus)
Ostorhinchus ishigakiensis (Ida & Moyer 1974) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Ishigaki-jima, Ryukyu Islands, Japan, type locality
Ostorhinchus jenkinsi (Evermann & Seale 1907) in honor of Oliver Peebles Jenkins (1850–1935), physiology professor, Stanford University (California, USA), who also worked as an ichthyologist, describing Pristiapogon menesemus in 1903
Ostorhinchus kiensis (Jordan & Snyder 1901) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Wakanoura, Kii Province (now Wakayama Prefecture), Japan, type locality (“one of the richest collecting grounds for fishes yet known in any part of the world”)
Ostorhinchus komodoensis (Allen 1998) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Rinca Island, Komodo Island Group, Indonesia, type locality
Ostorhinchus leptofasciatus (Allen 2001) leptós (λεπτός), thin or slender; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to narrow black stripes on upper body
Ostorhinchus leslie Schultz & Randall 2006 in honor of Leslie Whaylen Clift (b. 1970), aquatic scientist and environmental planner, who discovered this species while diving, realized it was undescribed, and persisted in making sure specimens and photographs were obtained [a noun in apposition, without the genitive “ae”]
Ostorhinchus limenus (Randall & Hoese 1988) Latinization of limēn (λιμήν), harbor or refuge, referring to its frequent occurrence in harbors and bays
Ostorhinchus lineomaculatus (Allen & Randall 2002) lineo, from linea (L.), line; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to narrow black stripe along middle of side and large black spot at base of caudal fin
Ostorhinchus luteus (Randall & Kulbicki 1998) Latin for yellow, referring to its coloration in life
Ostorhinchus maculiferus (Garrett 1864) macula (L.), spot; fero (L.), to have or bear, referring to longitudinal rows of small olivaceous spots on upper 2/3 of body
Ostorhinchus margaritophorus (Bleeker 1855) margarita (L.), pearl; phorus, from phoreús (φορεύς), bearer or carrier, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to row of white spots between midlateral reddish stripes
Ostorhinchus melanoproctus (Fraser & Randall 1976) mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; proctus, from prōktós (πρωκτός), anus, referring to black pigment that completely surrounds anus
Ostorhinchus microspilos (Allen & Randall 2002) micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small; spílos (σπίλος), mark or spot, referring to unusually small dark spot at midbase of caudal fin
Ostorhinchus moluccensis (Valenciennes 1832) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Molucca (Maluku) Islands, Indonesia, type locality
Ostorhinchus monospilus (Fraser, Randall & Allen 2002) mono-, from mónos (μόνος), one or single; spilus, from spílos (σπίλος), mark or spot, referring to single whitish or yellowish spot behind posterior base of second dorsal fin in life
Ostorhinchus multilineatus (Bleeker 1874) multi– (L.), many, lineatus (L.), lined, referring to numerous narrow, dark-brown stripes on body
Ostorhinchus mydrus (Jordan & Seale 1905) mýdros (μύδρος), an anvil or lump of metal, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its bluish-black color in spirits
Ostorhinchus nanus (Allen, Kuiter & Randall 1994) Latin for a dwarf, referring to its small size, up to 30 mm SL
Ostorhinchus nigripes (Playfair 1867) nigro-, from niger (L.), dark or black; pes (L.), foot (homologous to the ventral fin), referring to black ventral fins
Ostorhinchus nigrocincta (Smith & Radcliffe 1912) nigro-, from niger (L.), dark or black; cincta (L.), belted or girdled, presumably referring to a “narrow black girdle” that encircles caudal peduncle at base of caudal fin
Ostorhinchus nigrofasciatus (Lachner 1953) nigro-, from niger (L.), dark or black; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to five horizontal black stripes
Ostorhinchus norfolcensis (Ogilby 1888) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Norfolk Island (between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia), type locality
Ostorhinchus notatus (Houttuyn 1782) Latin for marked, referring to a round jet-black spot on each side of nape and at base of caudal fin
Ostorhinchus noumeae (Whitley 1958) of Nouméa, New Caledonia, type locality
Ostorhinchus novemfasciatus (Cuvier 1828) novem (L.), nine; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to nine black longitudinal bands, one on back, three on each side, and two under the body
Ostorhinchus ocellicaudus (Allen, Kuiter & Randall 1994) diminutive of oculus (L.), eye (but here meaning eyespot); caudus (L.), tail, referring to large ocellated black spot covering most of caudal-fin base
Ostorhinchus oxina (Fraser 1999) Greek (ὀξίνα) for rake or harrow, referring to vertical bars on side reaching stripe on upper body
Ostorhinchus oxygrammus (Allen 2001) åoxýs (ὀξύς), sharp or pointed; grammus, scientific Neo-Latin derived from grammḗ (γραμμή), line or stroke of the pen, referring to intense black stripe from edge of eye to end of caudal-fin rays, tapering to a point on caudal fin
Ostorhinchus pallidofasciatus (Allen 1987) pallidus (L.), pale; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to “faint, nearly indistinguishable” pattern of 4–6 stripes on sides
Ostorhinchus pallidus Allen & Erdmann 2017 Latin for pale, referring to overall color pattern, in contrast with its similar but more vividly patterned relative O. lineomaculatus
Ostorhinchus pleuron (Fraser 2005) Latin for rib, referring to dark rib-like markings extending below mid-line stripe on body
Ostorhinchus properuptus (Whitley 1964) etymology not explained, perhaps prope (L.), near, and ruptus (L.), broken, referring to yellow stripes on head and body, the first stripe running half-way along posterior dorsal-fin rays, “broken up” into a row of dark patches on the membranes
Ostorhinchus pselion (Randall, Fraser & Lachner 1990) psélion (ψέλιον), an armlet worn by the Persians, referring to a ring of black around posterior caudal peduncle, its most distinctive color marking
Ostorhinchus quinquestriatus (Regan 1908) quinque (L.), five; striatus (L.), grooved or furrowed (i.e., striped), referring to dorsal, ventral and three lateral stripes across body
Ostorhinchus radcliffei (Fowler 1918) in honor of American ichthyologist-malacologist Lewis Radcliffe (1880–1950), scientific assistant for the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, who studied the cardinalfishes of the Philippines
Ostorhinchus regula (Fraser & Randall 2003) Latin for a straightedge or rule (authors say ruler, measure or pattern), referring to a re-occurring pattern of alternating three broad (darker) stripes and three (lighter) narrow stripes on caudal peduncle (a pattern shared with many dark-striped congeners)
Ostorhinchus relativus (Randall 2001) Latin for related or akin to, referring to its similarity to O. angustatus, a common, wide-ranging species in the Indo-Pacific, but not found in the Marquesas, where this species occurs
Ostorhinchus rubrimacula (Randall & Kulbicki 1998) ruber (L.), red; macula (L.), mark or spot, referring to red spot at base of caudal fin
Ostorhinchus rueppellii (Günther 1859) patronym not identified but almost certainly in honor of German explorer-naturalist Eduard Rüppell (1794–1884), who described several apogonids in his 1828-30 work on Red Sea fishes\
Ostorhinchus schlegeli (Bleeker 1855) in honor of German ornithologist-herpetologist Hermann Schlegel (1804–1884), author, along with Coenraad Jacob Temminck, of the Fauna Japonica monograph series (1833–1850), in which this species was reported as Apogon (now Ostorhinchus) novemfasciatus
Ostorhinchus sealei (Fowler 1918) in honor of American ichthyologist Alvin Seale (1871–1958), Stanford University, for his work on Philippine fisheries
Ostorhinchus selas (Randall & Hayashi 1990) sélas (σέλας) light, flash or meteor, referring to Japanese common name, Nagareboshi, which means “shooting star”
Ostorhinchus semilineatus (Temminck & Schlegel 1843) semi-, from semis (L.), a half or moiety; lineatus (L.), lined, presumably referring to blackish line on upper part of body that extends from head to just beyond origin of second dorsal fin
Ostorhinchus septemstriatus (Günther 1880) septem (L.), seven; striatus, (L.), grooved or furrowed (i.e., striped), referring to three well-defined narrow black streaks on each side, and a seventh stripe running along median line of head and nape
Ostorhinchus sinus (Randall 2001) Latin for bay or gulf, referring to its being found only in well-protected bays
Ostorhinchus spilurus (Regan 1905) spílos (σπίλος), mark or spot; ourá (οὐρά), tail, referring to blackish spot on each side at base of caudal fin
Ostorhinchus taeniophorus (Regan 1908) taenia, from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon; phorus, from phoreús (φορεύς), bearer or carrier, referring to four dark longitudinal stripes on sides
Ostorhinchus unitaeniatus (Allen 1995) uni-, from unus (L.), one; taeniatus (L.), banded, referring to relatively narrow midlateral brown stripe from upper edge of preopercle to base of caudal fin, tapering in width posteriorly
Ostorhinchus urostigmus (Bleeker 1874) uro, from ourá (οὐρά), tail; stigmus, from stígma (στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to large brown spot on tail above lateral line [placed in Pristiapogon by some workers]
Ostorhinchus victoriae (Günther 1859) of Victoria, type locality, referring to Province of Victoria, a name given in the 1840s to a large area between Perth and Carnarvon in Western Australia
Ostorhinchus wassinki (Bleeker 1861) in honor of Geerlof Wassink (1811–1864), Dutch physician and military officer, chief of the medical service in the Dutch East Indies (based on Bleeker’s description of Homalopteroides wassinkii [Cypriniformes: Balitoridae], Wassink may have sent or made holotype available]
Ostorhinchus wilsoni (Fowler 1918) in honor of botanist William Powell Wilson (1844–1927), Director, Commercial Museums of Philadelphia, who made his institution’s collection of Philippine fishes available to Fowler
Ostorhinchus yamato Yoshida, Hayashi & Motomura 2018 early historic name for Japan, referring to its currently being known only from Japanese waters
Ostorhinchus (subgenus Brephamia) Jordan 1922 brephos (βρέφος), infant, baby, or young child, referring to small size (and perhaps juvenile appearance) of the neotenic O. parvulus; Amia, a nonbinominal name applied to Apogon by Gronow (1763), now a commonly used suffix in the family
Ostorhinchus neotes (Allen, Kuiter & Randall 1994) neótes (νεότη) youth, referring to juvenile appearance of this neotenic species
Ostorhinchus parvulus (Smith & Radcliffe 1912) diminutive of parvus (L)., small, referring to its size (described at 3.9 cm in length)
Ozichthys Fraser 2014 Oz, colloquial English name for Australia, referring to restricted distribution to tropical marine waters of Australia and southern New Guinea; ichthýs (ἰχθύς), fish
Ozichthys albimaculosus (Kailola 1976) albus (L.), white; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to distinctive rows of large white spots on body
Paroncheilus Smith 1964 etymology not explained nor evident, perhaps paron, a variation of pará (παρά), near or beside, and cheī́los (χεῖλος), lip, perhaps referring to presumed relationship (based on pattern of dentition) with Cheilodipterus
Paroncheilus affinis (Poey 1875) Latin for related, i.e., allied to Cheilodipterus macrodon, its presumed congener at the time
Phaeoptyx Fraser & Robins 1970 phaiós (φαιός), dark or gray (authors say brown); ptýx (πτύξ), layer or fold, referring to two important characters of the genus (then consisting of P. pigmentaria, Paroncheilus affinis and Apogon imberbis): brown color and posteroventral fleshy flap on preopercle
Phaeoptyx conklini (Silvester 1915) in honor of American embryologist Edwin Grant Conklin (1863–1952)
Phaeoptyx pigmentaria (Poey 1860) scientific Neo-Latin for having dots or points on the skin, referring to small black dots on body, most distinct on jaws and cheeks
Phaeoptyx xenus (Böhlke & Randall 1968) xénos (ξένος), guest, stranger or foreigner, referring to its habit of living in sponges
Pristiapogon Klunzinger 1870 pristis, from prístēs (πρίστης), sawyer (but here likely meaning saw), referring to serrated preopercular ridge of P. fraenatus; proposed as a subgenus of Apogon
Pristiapogon abrogramma (Fraser & Lachner 1985) abro-, from abrogare (L.), to repeal or evade; gramma, from grammḗ (γραμμή), line or stroke of the pen, referring to faint lateral line
Pristiapogon exostigma (Jordan & Starks 1906) éxō (ἔξω), outer or external; stígma (στίγμα), mark or spot, presumably referring to conspicuous round black spot on caudal peduncle at base of caudal-fin rays
Pristiapogon fraenatus (Valenciennes 1832) Latin for bridled, referring to black lateral band that extends through eye and across muzzle, connecting to band on opposite side
Pristiapogon kallopterus (Bleeker 1856) kállos (κάλλος), beauty; pterus, from pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, presumably referring to yellow anterior margin on first dorsal fin
Pristiapogon menesemus (Jenkins 1903) mēnē ((μήνη), moon; semus, from sēma (σῆμα), sign, mark or token, referring to “crescent-shaped” black band at base of caudal fin
Pristiapogon taeniopterus (Bennett 1836) ribbon-finned, from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, and pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), wing or fin, referring to black band on upper and lower margins of caudal fin
Pristicon Fraser 1972 pristis, from prístēs (πρίστης), sawyer (but here likely meaning saw), referring to serrated bones on head; icon, from eikṓn (εἰκών), image or resemblance, referring to similarity with Pristiapogon
Pristicon rhodopterus (Bleeker 1852) rhódon (ῥόδον), rose; pterus, from pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), wing or fin, presumably referring to its “red and orange” (translation) fins (which appear pale to slightly dusky in contemporary photos of living specimens)
Pristicon rufus (Randall & Fraser 1999) Latin for red or reddish, referring to its ground color in life
Pristicon trimaculatus (Cuvier 1828) tri– (L.), three; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to three clusters of black spots, one under each dorsal fin and a third one on tail
Pterapogon Koumans 1933 ptera, from pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), wing or fin, presumably referring to long dorsal, anal and caudal fins; Apogon, type genus of family
Pterapogon kauderni Koumans 1933 in honor of Swedish herpetologist Walter Kaudern (1881–1942), who collected holotype
Quinca Mees 1966 etymology not explained, perhaps a Latinization of the Spanish quince, 15, referring to 15 rays on second dorsal fin (one spine and 14 soft rays)
Quinca mirifica Mees 1966 Latin for wonderful or strange (i.e., different), showing “aberrant characters,” namely, having 14 soft rays in second dorsal fin whereas other apogonids known at the time have 10
Rhabdamia Weber 1909 rhábdos (ῥάβδος), rod, wand or staff, referring to long and numerous (~22) gill rakers of R. clupeiformis (=gracilis); Amia, a nonbinominal name applied to Apogon by Gronow (1763), which this genus resembles
Subgenus Rhabdamia
Rhabdamia gracilis (Bleeker 1856) Latin for thin or slender, referring to its slender and elongate (for an apogonid) body
Rhabdamia novaluna Yoshida, Mabuchi & Motomura 2018 nova, feminine nominative singular of novus (L.), new; luna (L.), moon, referring to subdermal black blotch or spot on lower caudal peduncle
Rhabdamia spilota Allen & Kuiter 1994 from spilōtós (σπιλωτός), marked or stained (but treated as a noun, spot), referring to distinctive spot above pectoral fin
Rhabdamia (subgenus Bentuviaichthys) Smith 1961 in honor of Polish-born Israeli ichthyologist Adam Ben-Tuvia (1919–1999), Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who provided holotype of R. nigrimentum and declined Smith’s invitation to describe it; ichthýs (ἰχθύς), fish
Rhabdamia nigrimentum (Smith 1961) nigri-, from niger (L.), dark or black; mentum (L.), chin, presumably referring to “conspicuously black” tip of lower jaw
Siphamia Weber 1909 síphōn (σίφων), pipe or tube, referring to silvery dusky tubiform gland of S. tubifer, running from beneath tongue, along lower sides of body, past vent, almost to caudal-fin base (later discovered to be bioluminescent); Amia, a nonbinominal name applied to Apogon by Gronow (1763), now a commonly used suffix in the family
Siphamia arabica Gon & Allen 2012 -ica (L.), belonging to; Arabian Peninsula (Oman and United Arab Emirates), where type specimens were collected
Siphamia argentea Lachner 1953 Latin for silvery, referring to its lateral body color
Siphamia arnazae Allen & Erdmann 2019 in honor of the second author’s wife Arnaz Mehta, who discovered this fish while diving in December 2016
Siphamia brevilux Gon & Allen 2012 brevis (L.), short; lux (L.), light, referring to length of light organ, the shortest for the genus and an essential character for separating this species from its nearest relatives
Siphamia cephalotes (Castelnau 1875) Latinization of kephalotos (κεφαλωτός), headed, presumably referring to its prominent head, “not contained three times” in TL
Siphamia corallicola Allen 1993 -cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, i.e., coral-dwelling, referring to its habitat
Siphamia cuneiceps Whitley 1941 cuneus (L.), wedge; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to wedge-shaped head
Siphamia cyanophthalma Gon & Allen 2012 blue-eyed, from kýanos (κύανος), dark blue (but here meaning blue in general), and ophthalmós (ὀφθαλμός), eye, referring to pair of blue stripes through eye, an excellent field character for its recognition
Siphamia elongata Lachner 1953 Latin for prolonged, referring to its “comparatively slender” body
Siphamia fistulosa (Weber 1909) scientific Neo-Latin for full of pipes (i.e., tubes), referring to 11–13 tubed lateral-line scales
Siphamia fraseri Gon & Allen 2012 in honor of Thomas H. Fraser, Mote Marine Laboratory (Sarasota, Florida, USA), for his numerous contributions to our knowledge of apogonid systematics
Siphamia fuscolineata Lachner 1953 fuscus (L.), dark or dusky; lineata (L.), lined, referring to dark brown stripes on body
Siphamia goreni Gon & Allen 2012 in honor of Israeli ichthyologist Menachem Goren, Tel-Aviv University, who collected type, for his contribution to our knowledge of Red Sea fishes
Siphamia guttulata (Alleyne & Macleay 1877) diminutive of guttata (L.), dotted, referring to silvery body “speckled all over with minute black dots”
Siphamia jebbi Allen 1993 in honor of Irish botanist Matthew Jebb (b. 1958), Director, Christensen Research Institute (Madang Province, Papua New Guinea), for lab equipment, boats, diving assistance, and funding for Allen’s research
Siphamia majimai Matsubara & Iwai 1958 in honor of shell collector Toyohiko Majima, who helped the authors with their ichthyological collections at Ankyaba and Urasokari (type locality), Amami Oshima Island, Japan
Siphamia mossambica Smith 1955 -ica (L.), belonging to: Mozambique, western Indian Ocean, type locality
Siphamia papuensis Gon, Allen, Erdmann & Gouws 2014 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: West Papua Province, Indonesia, type locality
Siphamia permutata Klausewitz 1966 Latin for altered or changed, presumably referring to how it changes colors when chased and captured, and/or to “very different” (translation) coloration between living and preserved specimens
Siphamia randalli Gon & Allen 2012 in honor of American ichthyologist John E. Randall (1924–2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), for “numerous and noteworthy” contributions to our knowledge of reef-fish taxonomy, and “a genuine inspiration to everyone in the field of ichthyology”; moreover, his Siphamia collections and specimen photographs, including this species, formed an essential part of the authors’ revision
Siphamia roseigaster (Ramsay & Ogilby 1887) roseus (L.), rosy or pink; gastḗr (γαστήρ), belly or stomach, referring to “roseate” lower part of body
Siphamia senoui Gon & Allen 2012 in honor of Hiroshi Senou, Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History, who, in collaboration with various Japanese colleagues, is largely responsible for a marked increase in our knowledge of tropical reef fishes occurring in southern Japan and the adjacent Ryukyu Archipelago; he also collected and photographed holotype and most paratypes of this species
Siphamia spinicola Gon & Allen 2012 spina (L.), thorn or spine; –cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, referring to its habit of living among the spines of echinoderms
Siphamia stenotes Gon & Allen 2012 stenótes (στενότης), narrowness, referring to its dark body stripes, which are the narrowest of any of the striped species in the genus
Siphamia tubifer Weber 1909 tubus (L.), pipe or tube; -ifer, from fera (L.), to have or bear, referring to silvery dusky tubiform gland running from beneath tongue, along lower sides of body, past vent, almost to caudal-fin base (later discovered to be bioluminescent)
Siphamia tubulata (Weber 1909) Latin for formed like a pipe or tubular, referring to silvery subcutaneous tube that runs across both side of body from above anus to end of tail (later discovered to be bioluminescent)
Siphamia versicolor (Smith & Radcliffe 1911) Latin for variegated or of various colors, described as “black as in deep-sea fishes” when first taken from the water, and paler later, with reddish shades and vermilion paired fins
Siphamia zaribae Whitley 1959 of a zariba, a fence made of thorns, referring to its occurrence between the spines of a sea urchin (per Whitley in a follow-up publication later that year)
Sphaeramia Fowler & Bean 1930 sphaero-, from sphaī́ra (σφαῖρα), ball, referring “spherical profile” of S. nematoptera; Amia, a nonbinominal name applied to Apogon by Gronow (1763), now a commonly used suffix in the family
Sphaeramia nematoptera (Bleeker 1856) nḗmatos (νήματος), threaded; ptera, from pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), wing or fin, referring to first and second rays of second dorsal fin produced into filaments
Sphaeramia orbicularis (Cuvier 1828) Latin for circular or disc-shaped, referring to its body shape, “very high in the middle, and very short” (translation)
Taeniamia Fraser 2013 taenia, from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to vertically wide bars and near-vertical to curved narrow bars as lines on most of species in the genus; Amia, a nonbinominal name applied to Apogon by Gronow (1763), now a commonly used suffix in the family
Taeniamia ataenia (Randall & Satapoomin 1999) á- (ἄ), privative, without; taenia, from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to absence of broad black bar as seen on the closely related T. zosterophora [an unusual instance of a fish’s generic and specific names contradicting each other]
Taeniamia biguttata (Lachner 1951) bi-, from bis (L.), twice; guttatus (L.), spotted, referring to two dark spots, one on humerus and the other at midbase of caudal fin
Taeniamia bilineata (Gon & Randall 1995) bi-, from bis (L.), twice; lineata (L.), lined, referring to two dark stripes on body
Taeniamia buruensis (Bleeker 1856) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Buru Island, Molucca Islands, Indonesia, type locality
Taeniamia dispilus (Lachner 1951) di-, from dýo (δύο), two; spílos (σπίλος), mark or spot, referring to two dark spots on body
Taeniamia flavofasciata (Gon & Randall 2003) flavus (L.), yellow; fasciata (L.), barred or striped, referring to dusky yellow bars on body
Taeniamia fucata (Cantor 1849) Latin for painted or colored, presumably referring to body and fins (except pectorals), “silvery carmine with rainbow reflections”
Taeniamia kagoshimanus (Döderlein 1883) -anus (L.), belonging to: Kagoshima, Japan, type locality
Taeniamia leai (Waite 1916) in honor of Australian entomologist Arthur Mills Lea (1868–1932), who collected holotype
Taeniamia lineolata (Cuvier 1828) Latin for marked with fine lines, referring to 12–14 reddish-brown vertical lines on body
Taeniamia macroptera (Cuvier 1828) big-finned, from makrós (μακρός), long or large, and pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), wing or fin, referring to longer anal fin compared with most congeners then placed in Apogon
Taeniamia melasma (Lachner & Taylor 1960) mélasma (μέλασμα), black spot, referring to black humeral spot
Taeniamia mozambiquensis (Smith 1961) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Island of Mozambique, western Indian Ocean, type locality
Taeniamia pallida (Gon & Randall 1995) Latin for pale, referring to its whitish appearance
Taeniamia sansibaricus (Pfeffer 1893) -icus (L.), belonging to: off the coast of Sansibar, German spelling of Zanzibar, Tanzania, type locality
Taeniamia zosterophora (Bleeker 1856) zōstêros (ζωστῆρος), genitive singular of zōstḗr (ζωστήρ), belt or girdle; phora, from phoreús (φορεύς), bearer or carrier, referring to broad violet-brown band that encircles body
Verulux Fraser 1972 veru (L.), javelin or dart, referring to body shape of V. cypselurus; lux (L.), light, referring to its auto-enzymatic bioluminescent organs
Verulux cypselurus (Weber 1909) kypselos (κύψελος), a bird of the swallow kind; ourá (οὐρά), tail, presumably referring to deeply forked caudal fin with pointed lobes, like that of a swallow
Verulux solmaculata Yoshida & Motomura 2016 sol (L.), sun; maculata (L.), spotted, referring to distinct black blotch, like a sunspot, on caudal-fin base
Vincentia Castelnau 1872 -ia (L. suffix), belonging to: St. Vincent Gulf, South Australia, type locality of C. waterhousii (=conspersa)
Vincentia badia Allen 1987 Latin for red-brown or chestnut-colored, referring to its overall and characteristic coloration
Vincentia conspersa (Klunzinger 1872) Latin for speckled, referring to scattered black spots on anterior part of body, especially on pectoral fins and head
Vincentia macrocauda Allen 1987 macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; cauda (L.), tail, referring to its elongate caudal peduncle
Vincentia novaehollandiae (Valenciennes 1832) of New Holland, historic name for Australia, type locality and primary distribution
Vincentia punctata (Klunzinger 1879) Latin for spotted, referring to numerous black spots or dots on trunk and along lateral line, and one on tail
Xeniamia Fraser & Prokofiev 2016 xénos (ξένος), stranger, referring to a combination of melanophore patterns and internal characters unique among known apogonids, making this genus a “stranger” in the family; Amia, a nonbinominal name applied to Apogon by Gronow (1763), now a commonly used suffix in the family
Xeniamia atrithorax Fraser & Prokofiev 2016 atri-, from ater (L.), black; thṓrax (θώραξ), breast or chest, referring to position of numerous melanophores as a dark spot in advance of pelvic-fin base
Yarica Whitley 1930 etymology not explained nor evident
Yarica hyalosoma (Bleeker 1852) hýalos (ὕαλος), any transparent substance; sṓma (σῶμα), body, referring to its “yellowish-hyaline” (translation) body (and fins) in life
Zapogon Fraser 1972 zá– (ζά), intensive particle, i.e., well or very, described as “very similar” in appearance to Apogon
Zapogon evermanni (Jordan & Snyder 1904) in honor of American ichthyologist Barton Warren Evermann (1853–1932), U.S. Bureau of Fisheries
Zapogon isus (Randall & Böhlke 1981) from ísos (ἴσος), like or equal, “remarkably similar” to Z. evermanni and the equal size of its scales
Zoramia Jordan 1917 etymology not explained, perhaps zōrós (ζωρός), sheer, referring to their partial transparency; Amia, a nonbinominal name applied to Apogon by Gronow (1763), now a commonly used suffix in the family
Zoramia flebila Greenfield, Langston & Randall 2005 Latin for tearful, referring to teardrop-shaped marks on cheek
Zoramia fragilis (Smith 1961) Latin for fragile or brittle, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its translucency in life, with “delicate” colors
Zoramia gilberti (Jordan & Seale 1905) in honor of Jordan’s colleague at Stanford University, ichthyologist and fisheries biologist Charles H. Gilbert (1859–1928), who provided “material assistance in the comparison of specimens”
Zoramia leptacanthus (Bleeker 1856) leptós (λεπτός), thin or slender; acanthus (L.), from ákantha (ἄκανθα), thorn or spine, referring to thread-like extension of first dorsal fin
Zoramia perlita (Fraser & Lachner 1985) Latin for smeared or covered over, referring to large, dark, diffuse cluster of chromatophores on caudal peduncle
Zoramia viridiventer Greenfield, Langston & Randall 2005 viridis (L.), green; venter (L.), belly or abdomen, referring to green coloration usually present on abdomen in life
Subfamily PSEUDAMIINAE Smith 1954
Gymnapogon Regan 1905 gymnós (γυμνός), bare or naked, referring to scaleless head and body of G. japonicus; Apogon, type genus of family
Gymnapogon africanus Smith 1954 -anus (L.), belonging to: Africa, the first African representative (from Shimoni, Kenya, Western Indian Ocean) of a genus hitherto known only from the Pacific
Gymnapogon annona (Whitley 1936) etymology not explained, perhaps alluding in some way to Annona, a genus of flowering plants that includes the custard apple, or to Annona, a Roman goddess who personifies the yearly grain harvest
Gymnapogon foraminosus (Tanaka 1915) Latin for full of holes, presumably referring to neuromasts on head and body
Gymnapogon janus Fraser 2016 named for Janus, a Roman God represented by two faces, referring to rounded caudal fin when scales have been sloughed off like some specimens of Pseudamia but with internal characters and preopercular spine of Gymnapogon
Gymnapogon japonicus Regan 1905 -icus (L.), belonging to: Japan, where type locality (Inland Sea) is situated
Gymnapogon melanogaster Gon & Golani 2002 mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; gastḗr (γαστήρ), belly or stomach, compared with the pale stomach of G. africanus
Gymnapogon philippinus (Herre 1939) -inus (L.), pertaining to: the Philippines, where type locality (Nasugbu, Batangas Province, Luzon Island) is situated
Gymnapogon sagittarius Yoshida, Kawai & Motomura 2019 Latin for archer or bowman, referring to long, narrow, arrow-like shape of body
Gymnapogon urospilotus Lachner 1953 uro, from ourá (οὐρά), tail; spilotus, from spilōtós (σπιλωτός), marked or stained, referring to spots at end of caudal peduncle
Gymnapogon vanderbilti (Fowler 1938) in honor of American yachtsman and explorer George W. Vanderbilt III (1914–1961), who organized 1937 expedition to the South Pacific, during which holotype was collected
Gymnapogon velum Fraser 2019 Latin for a sail, referring to its long and deep dorsal and anal fins
Pseudamia Bleeker 1865 pseudo-, from pseúdēs (ψεύδης), false, allusion not explained, presumably referring to its presumed close relationship with Amia, a nonbinominal name applied to Apogon by Gronow (1763), now a commonly used suffix in the family
Pseudamia amblyuroptera (Bleeker 1856) amblýs (ἀμβλύς), blunt; uro, from ourá (οὐρά), tail; ptera, finned, from pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, presumably referring to blunt and convex shape of caudal fin
Pseudamia gelatinosa Smith 1956 Latin for gelatinous or jelly-like, referring to its translucent body in life
Pseudamia hayashii Randall, Lachner & Fraser 1985 in honor of Masayoshi Hayashi, Curator, Yokosuka City Museum, for his studies of the apogonids of Japan; he also loaned a specimen of this species when he learned of the authors’ research on the genus
Pseudamia nigra Allen 1992 Latin for black or dark, referring to its uniform dark brown to blackish coloration in life
Pseudamia rubra Randall & Ida 1993 Latin for red, referring to its prevalent orange-red coloration in life
Pseudamia tarri Randall, Lachner & Fraser 1985 in honor of ichthyologist A. Bradley Tarr, University of Petroleum and Minerals (Dhahran, Saudi Arabia), who helped collect holotype
Pseudamia zonata Randall, Lachner & Fraser 1985 Latin for banded, referring to alternating broad dark and light bars on body
Pseudamiops Smith 1954 ṓps (ὦψ), eye or face (i.e., appearance), similar to Pseudamia, differing mainly in the absence of a lateral line
Pseudamiops diaphanes Randall 1998 diaphanḗs (διαφανής), translucent (i.e., to shine through), a transparent species with dark markings in life
Pseudamiops gracilicauda (Lachner 1953) gracilis (L.), thin or slender; cauda (L.), tail, referring to its slender, elongate caudal peduncle
Pseudamiops pellucidus Smith 1954 Latin for translucently clear, referring to its almost completely transparent coloration in life and a uniform translucent milky yellow in spirits
Pseudamiops phasma Randall 2001 phásma (φάσμα), phantom or apparition, referring to its transparency in life
Pseudamiops springeri Gon & Bogorodsky 2013 in honor of American ichthyologist Victor G. Springer (1928–2022), U.S. National Museum, who collected holotype in 1969
Subfamily AMIOIDINAE Fraser & Mabuchi 2014
Amioides Smith & Radcliffe 1912 -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: proposed as a subgenus of Amia, a nonbinominal name applied to Apogon by Gronow (1763), now a commonly used suffix in the family
Amioides grossidens (Smith & Radcliffe 1912) grossus (L.), big, coarse or thick; dens (L.), tooth, referring to its “much stronger teeth than in any other species of Amia [=Apogon]”
Amioides polyacanthus (Vaillant 1877) polý- (πολύ-), many; acanthus, (L.), from ákantha (ἄκανθα), thorn or spine, referring to seven first dorsal-fin spines vs. six among presumed congeners in Cheilodipterus
Holapogon Fraser 1973 hólos (ὅλος), whole or entire, referring to how this genus most represents the ancestor of the diverse genus Apogon (both genera in subfamily are now believed to be basal to all apogonids)
Holapogon maximus (Boulenger 1888) Latin for greatest or largest, presumably referring to large size (25.4 cm) compared with presumed congeners in Apogon
Subfamily PAXTONINAE Fraser & Mabuchi 2014
Paxton Baldwin & Johnson 1999 named for friend and colleague John R. Paxton (1938–2023), American-born Australian ichthyologist, Australian Museum (Sydney), who provided type specimens, as a “good-natured reminder that ‘you can’t judge a fish by its cover’” (Paxton initially believed that the specimens represented an undescribed genus of soapfish, Grammistidae)
Paxton concilians Baldwin & Johnson 1999 Latin for uniting or bringing together, i.e., to unite separate parts into a whole (consilience), referring to its single (or continuous) dorsal fin