Updated 10 Jan. 2026
PDF version (with illustrations and additional information)

Acarobythites Machida 2000 acaro, from akarḗs (ἀκαρής), tiny, referring to its small size (up to 25.2 mm SL); Bythites, type genus of family

Acarobythites larsonae Machida 2000 in honor of Helen Larson, Curator of Fishes, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (Darwin, Australia), who “kindly” sent bythitid and ophidiid specimens to Machida for study

Anacanthobythites Anderson 2008 an– (ἄν), privative (i.e., not); acanthus (L.), from ákantha (ἄκανθα), thorn or spine, referring to lack of developed gill rakers on first branchial arch; Bythites, type genus of family

Anacanthobythites platycephalus Anderson 2008 platýs (πλατύς), flat; cephalus, from kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to its depressed head

Anacanthobythites tasmaniensis Anderson 2008 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Tasmania, Australia, type locality

Aphyonus Günther 1878 aphya, from aphýē (ἀφύη), small fry (i.e., a small or translucent fish), possibly referring to its transparent, colorless skin; onus, presumably a Latinization of onos (ὄνος), donkey or ass (asellus in Latin), a name dating to Aristotle for an unidentified gadiform fish, posssibly Phycis blennoides (Gadidae) but often applied to Merluccius merluccius (Merlucciidae) and hence used several times by Günther as a suffix for superficially similar (e.g., hake-like) fishes

Aphyonus gelatinosus Günther 1878 Latin for gelatinous or jelly-like, referring to “thin, scaleless, loose” skin, forming a “large loose bag” on upper anterior body, “which during life is probably filled and distended with mucus”

Barathronus Goode & Bean 1886 bárathron (βάραθρον), a bottomless pit or abyss (in Greek mythology, the Barathron was a deep pit at Athens into which living and executed criminals were cast), referring to deep-sea habitat of B. bicolor; onus, presumably a Latinization of onos (ὄνος), donkey or ass (asellus in Latin), a name dating to Aristotle for an unidentified gadiform fish, posssibly Phycis blennoides (Gadidae) but often applied to Merluccius merluccius (Merlucciidae) and often used as a suffix for superficially similar (e.g., hake-like) fishes

Barathronus affinis Brauer 1906 Latin for related, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its affinity to B. diaphanus, described in the same monograph

Barathronus algrahami Nielsen, Pogonoski & Appleyard 2019 in honor of Alastair Graham (b. 1964), collection manager at CSIRO (Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation), for assistance with loans of specimens and data

Barathronus bicolor Goode & Bean 1886 bi-, from bis (L.), twice, i.e., two-colored, referring to yellowish white color with a broad vertical band of black from origin of ventral nearly to vent, and another similar and narrower band above it upon each side

Barathronus bruuni Nielsen 1969 in honor of the research vessel Anton Bruun, which collected holotype

Barathronus diaphanus Brauer 1906 from diaphanḗs (διαφανής), translucent, presumably referring to how its blood vessels can be seen through the skin

Barathronus linsi Nielsen, Mincarone & Di Dario 2015 in honor of Jorge Eduardo Lins de Oliveira, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, for his lifelong commitment to the understanding of the marine biodiversity of northeastern Brazil

Barathronus maculatus Shcherbachev 1976 Latin for spotted, referring to “distinctly visible” (translation) spots along median line of body

Barathronus multidens Nielsen 1984 multi– (L.), many; dens, tooth, referring to higher number of fangs on vomer (11) and palatines (8–11 on each) compared to any congener known at the time

Barathronus pacificus Nielsen & Eagle 1974 -icus (L.), belonging to: the northeastern Pacific, where it occurs

Barathronus parfaiti (Vaillant 1888) in honor of J. Parfait, captain of the Talisman, French research vessel that collected holotype

Barathronus roulei Nielsen 2019 in honor of French zoologist Louis Roule (1861–1942), who reported this species as B. parfaiti in 1915 and 1916

Bellottia Giglioli 1883 -ia (L. suffix), belonging to: “good friend” Cristoforo Bellotti (1823–1919), “a modest but distinguished ichthyologist” (translation) who brought specimens of B. apoda to Giglioli’s attention

Bellottia apoda Giglioli 1883 a– (ἀ-), privative, i.e., without; poda, from podós (ποδός), genitive of poús (πούς), foot (homologous to the ventral fin), referring to absence of ventral fins

Bellottia armiger (Smith & Radcliffe 1913) arma (L.), weapons; –iger (L.), to have or bear, referring to “opercle armed with a slender spine” and “margin of preopercle armed with 5 or 6 spines”

Bellottia cryptica Nielsen, Ross & Cohen 2009 Latin for hidden or secret, referring to how it is concealed within crevices in its complex habitat, provided by tubeworms or deep-sea corals

Bellottia galatheae Nielsen & Møller 2008 in honor of the Danish Galathea 3 expedition, which circumnavigated the world in 2006-2007 and caught new and rare deep-sea ophidiiform fishes from the Solomon Sea, including this one

Bellottia robusta Nielsen, Ross & Cohen 2009 Latin for of oak or oaken and, by extension, hard, firm or solid (but often used by ichthyologists to mean fat or stout), referring to its short, deep body

Bidenichthys Barnard 1934 named for C. Leo Biden, described elsewhere as a “knowledgeable angler,” who collected one of the types of B. capensis and “to whom the South African Museum is indebted for many specimens and much information”; ichthýs (ἰχθύς), fish

Bidenichthys capensis Barnard 1934 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: the Cape, presumably referring to type locality at Still Bay, near Cape Town, South Africa

Bidenichthys consobrinus (Hutton 1876) Latin for cousin, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its relationship with one or more species in Dinematichthys (Dinematichthyidae), its presumed genus at the time

Bidenichthys okamotoi Møller, Schwarzhans, Lauridsen & Nielsen 2022 in honor of Makoto Okamoto, Seikai National Fisheries Research Institute (Nagasaki, Japan), who collected types, for his many contributions to Pacific ichthyology

Bidenichthys paxtoni (Nielsen & Cohen 1986) in honor of American-born Australian ichthyologist John R. Paxton (1938–2023), Australian Museum (Sydney), for his many contributions to ichthyology, both in research and curating

Bidenichthys slartibartfasti (Paulin 1995) in honor of Slartibartfast, a designer of fjords in the first and third books of Douglas Adams’ “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” series, alluding to its distribution in the Fiordland region of New Zealand

Brosmodorsalis Paulin & Roberts 1989 brosmo-, referring to its placement in the subfamily Brosmophycinae (now considered polyphyletic); dorsalis (L.), of the back, referring to two dorsal-fin characters: origin well anterior to posterior margin of operculum, and anterior rays free of membrane

Brosmodorsalis persicinus Paulin & Roberts 1989 -inus (L.), adjectival suffix: persica (L.), peach, referring to its body coloration in life

Brosmophyciops Schultz 1960 ṓps (ὦψ), eye or face (i.e., appearance), similar to Brosmophycis

Brosmophyciops pautzkei Schultz 1960 in honor of Schultz’ former student Clarence F. Pautzke (1907–1971), chief biologist in the Game Department of the State of Washington, who was at Bikini Atoll (western Pacific) in 1946 and 1947 when holotype was collected

Brosmophycis Gill 1861 a “union” of some of the features of the gadiform genera Brosmius (=Brosme, Lotidae) and Phycis (Gadidae)

Brosmophycis marginata (Ayres 1854) Latin for edged or bordered, referring to bright rose-red edge on fins

Bythites Reinhardt 1835 bythítēs (βυθίτης), dweller of the deep, referring to occurrence of what Reinhardt would later name B. fuscus at “great depths” (name proposed without included species)

Bythites fuscus Reinhardt 1837 Latin for dark or dusky, referring to its black-brown coloration

Bythites gerdae Nielsen & Cohen 1973 in honor of the research vessel Gerda (Mote Marine Laboratory, Miami, Florida, USA), from which holotype was collected

Bythites islandicus Nielsen & Cohen 1973 -icus (L.), belonging to: Ísland, referring to type locality off southeast coast of Iceland

Calamopteryx Böhlke & Cohen 1966 calamus (L.), reed; ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, allusion not explained, presumably referring to elongated radials of pectoral fin of C. goslinei

Calamopteryx goslinei Böhlke & Cohen 1966 in honor of American ichthyologist William A. Gosline (1915–2002), University of Michigan, for his contributions to the knowledge of ophidioid fishes

Calamopteryx jeb Cohen 1973 coined from the initials of James E. Böhlke (1930–1982), Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, “noted” ichthyologist and co-describer of the genus Calamopteryx

Calamopteryx robinsorum Cohen 1973 -orum (L.), commemorative suffix, plural: in honor of Catherine H. and C. Richard (1928-2020) Robins, for their contributions to the taxonomy of western Atlantic species

Cataetyx Günther 1887 etymology not explained; per Jordan & Evermann (1898), it means kataí (καταί), at the bottom, and týxis (τύξἰς), a find, literally, “a find from the bottom,” probably referring to bathydemersal habitat of C. messieri

Cataetyx alleni (Byrne 1906) in honor of Byrne’s friend, British marine biologist Edward Johnson Allen (1866–1942), Director of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, under whose auspices type was collected

Cataetyx bruuni (Nielsen & Nybelin 1963) in honor of Danish oceanographer and ichthyologist Anton Frederick Bruun (1901–1961), scientific leader of expedition that collected holotype in 1946

Cataetyx chthamalorhynchus Cohen 1981 chthamalós (χθαμαλός), flat or on the ground (Cohen says “low”); rhynchus, from rhýnchos (ῥύγχος), snout, referring to its strongly depressed snout

Cataetyx hawaiiensis Gosline 1954 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Island of Hawai‘i, killed by the eruption of Mauna Loa in 1950

Cataetyx laticeps Koefoed 1927 latus (L.), broad or wide; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to its flattened head, “broader than high”

Cataetyx lepidogenys (Smith & Radcliffe 1913) lepídos (λεπίδος), genitive of lepίs (λεπίς), scale; génys (γένυς), jaw (usually the cheek or lower jaw in ichthyology), referring to presence of scales on cheek (as well as opercle and top of head)

Cataetyx messieri (Günther 1878) of the Messier Strait (Patagonia, Chile), type locality

Cataetyx nielseni Balushkin & Prokofiev 2005 in honor of Danish ichthyologist Jørgen G. Nielsen (b. 1932), Zoological Museum of Copenhagen, a “who made a considerable contribution to the study of fish systematics, including the order Ophidiiformes” (translation)

Cataetyx platyrhynchus Machida 1984 platýs (πλατύς), flat; rhynchus, from rhýnchos (ῥύγχος), snout, referring to its “strongly depressed” snout

Cataetyx rubrirostris Gilbert 1890 ruber (L.), red; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, flushed with a dark ruby red in life

Cataetyx simus Garman 1899 Latin for blunt-nosed, referring to its “very broad and bluntly rounded” snout

Diplacanthopoma Günther 1887 diplo-, from diplóos (διπλόος) or diploū́s (διπλοῦς), twofold or double; acanthus (L.), from ákantha (ἄκανθα), thorn or spine; pṓma (πῶμα), lid or cover, referring to two spines on operculum of D. brachysoma, one pointing backwards, the other downwards

Diplacanthopoma brachysoma Günther 1887 brachýs (βραχύς), short; sṓma (σῶμα), body, referring to its elongate, compressed body

Diplacanthopoma brunneum Smith & Radcliffe 1913 Medieval Latin for brown, referring to its “Broccoli brown” body color in alcohol

Diplacanthopoma japonicum (Steindachner & Döderlein 1887) -icum (L.), belonging to: Japan, referring to type locality, Sagami Sea, off Tokyo, Japan

Diplacanthopoma jordani Garman 1899 in honor of American ichthyologist David Starr Jordan (1851–1931), “in token of a hearty appreciation of his work in North American Ichthyology”

Diplacanthopoma kreffti Cohen & Nielsen 2002 in honor of German ichthyologist Gerhard Krefft (1912–1993), Institut für Seefischerei (Hamburg), friend and colleague, “who fished and studied deep sea fishes with a passion”

Diplacanthopoma nigripinne Gilchrist & von Bonde 1924 nigri-, from niger (L.), black; pinne, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to fins “darker” than brownish body [originally spelled nigripinnis; emended to agree with neuter genus]

Diplacanthopoma raniceps Alcock 1898 rana (L.), frog; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to its “broad frog-like head and snout”

Diplacanthopoma riversandersoni Alcock 1895 in honor of Adam Rivers Steele Anderson (1863–1924), captain and surgeon-naturalist of the Royal Indian Marine Survey steamer Investigator, which collected holotype

Ematops Schwarzhans & Nielsen 2011 emata, from ichthyḗmata (ἰχθυήματα), fish scales; ṓps (ὦψ), eye, referring to unique partial covering of eye by head scales, not known in any other living ophidiiform fish

Ematops randalli (Cohen & Wourms 1976) in honor of American ichthyologist John E. Randall (1924–2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), who helped collect holotype and sent it to the authors, along with notes on life coloration and a color transparency

Grammonus Gill 1896 etymology not explained, perhaps grammḗ (γραμμή), line or stroke of the pen, referring to interrupted lateral line of G. ater; onus, presumably a Latinization of onos (ὄνος), donkey or ass (asellus in Latin), a name dating to Aristotle for an unidentified gadiform fish, posssibly Phycis blennoides (Gadidae) but often applied to Merluccius merluccius (Merlucciidae) and often used as a suffix for superficially similar (e.g., hake-like) fishes

Grammonus ater (Risso 1810) Latin for black, referring to its ebony black (“noir d’ébène”) color on a background of purplish red

Grammonus claudei (Torre y Huerta 1930) in honor of French engineer (and inventor of neon lighting) Georges Claude (1870–1960), who inadvertently discovered this reef-cave fish in Matanzas Bay, Cuba, when pumping cool seawater up from the depths to convert into electricity via a process called “ocean thermal energy conversion”

Grammonus diagrammus (Heller & Snodgrass 1903) dia-, from dýo (δύο), two; grammus, scientific Neo-Latin derived from grammḗ (γραμμή), line or stroke of the pen, referring to two lateral lines on each side, overlapping for a fourth of their lengths

Grammonus longhursti (Cohen 1964) in honor of British-born Canadian oceanographer Alan Reece Longhurst (1925–2023), who collected holotype

Grammonus minutus Nielsen & Prokofiev 2010 Latin for small, referring to short length (32–55 mm SL) at which males attain sexual maturity

Grammonus nagaredai Randall & Hughes 2008 in honor of Bronson Nagareda (b. 1976), who collected holotype and provided a series of photographs taken in his aquarium

Grammonus opisthodon Smith 1934 ópisthen (ὄπισθεν), behind; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, allusion not explained nor evident

Grammonus robustus Smith & Radcliffe 1913 Latin for of oak or oaken and, by extension, hard, firm or solid (but often used by ichthyologists to mean fat or stout), probably referring to its “short, deep” body

Grammonus thielei Nielsen & Cohen 2004 in honor of Austrian underwater photographer Werner Thiele (b. 1966), the first to photograph and capture this species

Grammonus waikiki (Cohen 1964) named for Waikiki reef, Oahu Island, Hawai‘i, type locality

Grammonus yunokawai Nielsen 2007 in honor of Kyo Yunokawa, Ie-shima Diving Center (Okinawa, Japan), who photographed and caught (by hand in the back of the cave in absolute darkness) the only known specimen

Hastatobythites Machida 1997 hastatus (L.), armed with a spear, referring to spines on frontal and mesethmoid; Bythites, type genus of family

Hastatobythites arafurensis Machida 1997 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Arafura Sea, western Pacific, type locality

Hephthocara Alcock 1892 hephthós (ἑφθός), boiled, seethed or languid; cara, from kára (κάρα), head, allusion not explained, perhaps referring in some way to “wafer-like” cranial bones and/or head of H. simum, covered with “delicate scaleless skin, which in life, owing to an extraordinary storage in and beneath it of mucus, forms a uniformly thick velvety cap”

Hephthocara crassiceps Smith & Radcliffe 1913 crassus (L.), thick, fat or stout; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to its “very large, broad, and deep” head

Hephthocara simum Alcock 1892 Latin for flat- or pug-nosed, referring to its “small snub snout,” not overhanging the jaws

Leucobrotula Koefoed 1952 leuco, from leukós (λευκός), white, presumably referring to colorless body (with exceptions of mouth, gill membranes and peritoneum, which are blue-black); brotula, placed in Brotulidae at time of description

Leucobrotula adipata Koefoed 1952 Latin for fatty or greasy, referring to “stratum of oil globules” beneath its scaleless skin

Lucifuga Poey 1858 luci-, from lux (L.), light or brightness; fugio (L.), to flee, fly or take flight, referring to subterranean (and therefore lightless) habitat of L. dentata and L. subterranea, i.e., to flee from light

Lucifuga dentata Poey 1858 Latin for toothed, referring to its longer teeth and the presence of palatine teeth compared to L. subterranea

Lucifuga gibarensis Hernández, Møller, Casane & García-Machado 2020 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: village of Gibara, northern Holguin province, Cuba, where the three caves inhabited by this species are located

Lucifuga inopinata Cohen & McCosker 1998 Latin for unexpected, referring to unexpected find of a Lucifuga in the Galapagos, and that it brought the relationships between it and related genera into question (John E. McCosker, pers. comm.)

Lucifuga lucayana Møller, Schwarzhans, Iliffe & Nielsen 2006 -ana (L.), belonging to: the Lucayan Indians, who inhabited the Bahamas for more than 2000 years, before they were eliminated by European invaders; their name is reflected in the type locality, Lucayan Caverns (Grand Bahama Island), which they used as a graveyard

Lucifuga simile Nalbant 1981 Latin for similar, referring to its intermediate features between L. dentatus and L. subterraneus

Lucifuga spelaeotes Cohen & Robins 1970 Greek (σπηλαιώτης) for cave or cavern dweller, referring to its occurrence in anchialine caves of the Bahamas

Lucifuga subterranea Poey 1858 Latin for underground, referring to its occurrence in anchialine caves of Cuba

Megacataetyx Prokofiev 2005 mégas (μέγας), large or great, referring to its size, much larger than any other Cataetyx, its original genus (Artem Prokofiev, pers. comm.)

Megacataetyx niki (Cohen 1981) in honor of ichthyologist Nikolai Vasil’evich Parin (1932–2012), Russian Academy of Sciences, who made specimens available to Cohen and reviewed his manuscript

Melodichthys Nielsen & Cohen 1986 Melodie, fishing vessel that collected holotype; ichthýs (ἰχθύς), fish

Melodichthys hadrocephalus Nielsen & Cohen 1986 bulk-headed, from hadrós (ἁδρός), bulky, and kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to its robust head, ~1/3 of SL

Meteoria Nielsen 1969 -ia (L. suffix), belonging to: the German research vessel Meteor, which collected holotype

Meteoria erythrops Nielsen 1969 erythrós (ἐρυθρός), red; ṓps (ὦψ), eye, referring to reddish tissue surrounding the eyes

Meteoria longidorsalis Nielsen 2016 longus (L.), long; dorsalis (L.), of the back, referring to longer dorsal-fin base compared with M. erythrops

Meteoria pauciradiatus (Nielsen 1997) paucus (L.), few or scanty; radiatus (L.), rayed, referring to relatively few fin rays compared with Parasciadonus brevibrachium, its presumed congener at the time

Microbrotula Gosline 1953 micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small, presumably referring to small size of M. rubra (up to 46.2 mm SL) and M. nigra (=Grammonus waikiki, 62.5 mm SL); brotula, then placed in the family Brotulidae

Microbrotula andersoni Schwarzhans & Nielsen 2011 in honor of M. Eric Anderson, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, for his contributions to the knowledge of the genus Microbrotula

Microbrotula bentleyi Anderson 2005 in honor of Andrew Charles Bentley (Port Elizabeth, South Africa, now Collection Manager, University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute & Natural History Museum), for his enthusiasm and help in the development of a program on western Indian Ocean fishes, and for collecting holotype

Microbrotula geraldalleni Schwarzhans & Nielsen 2012 in honor of American-born Australian ichthyologist Gerald R. Allen (b. 1942), Western Australia Museum (Perth), for his “outstanding” contribution to the knowledge of fishes from the Indo-West Pacific and his many years of support of the senior author

Microbrotula greenfieldi Anderson 2007 in honor of ichthyologist David W. Greenfield (b. 1940), for numerous contributions to the systematics, conservation, behavior, and ecology of fishes (he also helped collect holotype)

Microbrotula hamata Schwarzhans & Nielsen 2011 authors incorrectly say name is derived from the Latin hamatus and describe it as a noun in apposition meaning “hook,” referring to forward-curved spine at lower angle of preopercle, but actually it’s a feminine adjective meaning “hooked”; despite the error, name needs to be treated as a noun because the authors declare it as a noun

Microbrotula punicea Anderson 2007 Latin for pink or reddish, referring to its color in life

Microbrotula queenslandica Anderson 2005 -ica (L.), belonging to: Queensland, Australia, where types were collected from the Great Barrier Reef

Microbrotula rubra Gosline 1953 Latin for red, referring to its translucent pinkish-red color in life

Nybelinella Nielsen 1972 -ella (L.), diminutive connoting endearment: in honor of Swedish ichthyologist Orvar Nybelin (1892–1982), who described N. erikssoni in 1957, and who “kindly placed” his specimens at Nielsen’s disposal [replacement name for Nybelinia Nielsen 1969, preoccupied by Nybelinia Poche 1925 in tapeworms]

Nybelinella brevianalis Nielsen 2017 brevis (L.), short; analis (L.), anal, referring to its shorter anal fin compared to congeners

Nybelinella brevidorsalis Shcherbachev 1976 brevis (L.), short; dorsalis (L.), of the back, referring to fewer dorsal-fin rays than N. erikssoni

Nybelinella erikssoni (Nybelin 1957) in honor of John Eriksson, surgeon aboard the Swedish ship Albatross, which collected holotype, for “excellent assistance in the preservation of material obtained during our trawlings and who contributed in many other respects to the biological collection work”

Parabrotula Zugmayer 1911 pará (παρά), near, referring to its presumed affinity with Brotula (Ophidiidae), but without scales

Parabrotula plagiophthalma Zugmayer 1911 side-eyed, from plágios (πλάγιος), sideways or oblique, and ophthalmós (ὀφθαλμός), eye, referring to its elliptical eyes, obliquely positioned on the head [originally spelled plagiophthalma; emended to agree with feminine genus]

Parabrotula tanseimaru Miya & Nielsen 1991 named for the research vessel Tansei Maru, University of Tokyo (which collected holotype), for her contributions to the biology of midwater fishes in Sagami Bay, Japan (where this species occurs)

Paraphyonus Nielsen 2015 pará (παρά), near or beside, similar to Aphyonus

Paraphyonus bolini (Nielsen 1974) in honor of American marine biologist Rolf L. Bolin (1901–1973), Hopkins Marine Station (Pacific Grove, California, USA), who collected holotype

Paraphyonus brevidorsalis (Nielsen 1969) brevis (L.), short; dorsalis (L.), of the back, referring to shorter dorsal fin compared with Aphyonus gelatinosus, its presumed congener at the time

Paraphyonus iselini Nielsen 2015 in honor of the research vessel Columbus Iselin, which collected a number of deep-sea aphyonids, including holotype of this one

Paraphyonus merretti Nielsen 2015 in honor of British ichthyologist Nigel R. Merrett (b. 1940), formerly with the Natural History Museum (London), for providing Nielsen with a “rich supply” of aphyonid fishes caught during various R/V Discovery cruises

Paraphyonus rassi (Nielsen 1975) in honor of Russian ichthyologist Teodor Saulovich Rass (1904–2001), who loaned Nielsen specimens from the 14th cruise of the research vessel Academik Kurchatov and other Soviet expeditions

Paraphyonus solomonensis (Nielsen & Møller 2008) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Solomon Sea, Pacific Ocean, type locality

Parasaccogaster Nielsen, Schwarzhans & Cohen 2012 pará (παρά), near or beside, similar to Saccogaster

Parasaccogaster melanomycter (Cohen 1981) mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; myktḗr (μυκτήρ), nostril, referring to nasal capsule lined with “sooty black pigment”

Parasaccogaster normae (Cohen & Nielsen 1972) in honor of Peruvian ichthyologist Norma Chirichigno Fonseca (b. 1929), who independently identified this fish as undescribed and “graciously” placed her specimens at the authors’ disposal

Parasaccogaster rhamphidognatha (Cohen 1987) hook-jawed, from rhamphidós (ῥαμφιδός), hook, and gnáthos (γνάθος), jaw, referring to hook-like projection on maxillary

Parasciadonus Nielsen 1984 pará (παρά), near or beside, most closely related to Sciadonus

Parasciadonus brevibrachium Nielsen 1984 brevis (L.), short; brachium, from bracchium (L.), forearm, referring to its short pectoral peduncle

Petrotyx Heller & Snodgrass 1903 etymology not explained, perhaps petrosus (L.), rocky, referring to rock-crevice habitat of P. hopkinsi; týxis (τύξἰς), a find (literally, “a find from the rocks”), or perhaps used as a shorthand for Cataetyx, said to be a related genus

Petrotyx hopkinsi Heller & Snodgrass 1903 in honor of philanthropist Timothy Hopkins (1859–1936) of Menlo Park, California, USA, who funded expedition that collected holotype

Petrotyx sanguineus (Meek & Hildebrand 1928) Latin for blood-red, referring to its dark-red coloration in life

Pseudonus Garman 1899 pseudo-, from pseúdēs (ψεύδης), false; onus, presumably a Latinization of onos (ὄνος), donkey or ass (asellus in Latin), a name dating to Aristotle for an unidentified gadiform fish, posssibly Phycis blennoides (Gadidae) but often applied to Merluccius merluccius (Merlucciidae) and often used as a suffix for superficially similar (e.g., hake-like) fishes, or perhaps an abridgement of Mixonus (=Bathyonus), i.e., its head “like that of Mixonus [not italicized in original] in some respects, but more elongate,” i.e., although similar to Mixonus, such an appearance is false

Pseudonus acutus Garman 1899 Latin for sharp or pointed, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “strong” opercular spine

Pseudonus squamiceps (Lloyd 1907) squamis, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of squama (L.), scale; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, differing from known presumed congeners in Diplacanthopoma by having scales on head “as far forward as the posterior limit of the eyes and on the opercles and sides of the head as far forward as a line dropped vertically from the posterior border of the eyes”

Saccogaster Alcock 1889 saccus (L.), sack or bag; gastḗr (γαστήρ), belly or stomach, referring to large, inflated abdomen of S. maculata

Saccogaster brayae Nielsen, Schwarzhans & Cohen 2012 in honor of Dianne Bray, Senior Collections Manager, Vertebrate Zoology, Museums Victoria (Australia), for her support with material for the authors’ revision of the genus

Saccogaster hawaii Cohen & Nielsen 1972 named for its occurrence off Maui in the Hawaiian Islands

Saccogaster horrida Nielsen, Schwarzhans & Cohen 2012 Latin for bristly or rough (authors say “horrifying”), referring to spines and bony ridges above its eyes

Saccogaster maculata Alcock 1889 Latin for spotted, referring to minute white spots along its sides

Saccogaster nikoliviae Nielsen, Schwarzhans & Cohen 2012 in honor of two of the first author’s grandchildren, Nikolaj and Olivia

Saccogaster parva Cohen & Nielsen 1972 Latin for small, at 58 mm SL, the smallest member of the genus known at the time

Saccogaster staigeri Cohen & Nielsen 1972 in honor of marine biologist Jon C. Staiger, who first called this species to the authors’ attention

Saccogaster tuberculata (Chan 1966) Latin for warty or tuberculate, referring to tube-like sensory openings on head

Sciadonus Garman 1899 sciado-, from skiádos (σκιάδος), genitive of skiás (σκιάς), canopy or umbrella, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to entire forehead of S. pedicellaris, “filled with mucus, which possibly may be utilized in the production of light” (subsequent researchers have not found light-producing tissue); onus, presumably a Latinization of onos (ὄνος), donkey or ass (asellus in Latin), a name dating to Aristotle for an unidentified gadiform fish, posssibly Phycis blennoides (Gadidae) but often applied to Merluccius merluccius (Merlucciidae) and often used as a suffix for superficially similar (e.g., hake-like) fishes

Sciadonus alphacrucis Melo, Gomes, Møller & Nielsen 2021 -is, Latin genitive singular of: Brazilian research vessel Alpha Crucis, from which holotype was collected

Sciadonus cryptophthalmus (Zugmayer 1911) crypto-, from kryptόs (κρυπτός), hidden; ophthalmós (ὀφθαλμός), eye, referring to its eye, which appear as tiny black dots well below surface of head

Sciadonus jonassoni (Nybelin 1957) in honor of Axel Jonasson (1903–?), chief mechanic and trawling master aboard the Swedish ship Albatross, which collected holotype, who had “inter alia the responsibility for the practical part of our trawlings and to whom we are indebted for a very good piece of work in this as well as other respects”

Sciadonus longiventralis Nielsen 2018 longus (L.), long; ventralis (L.), of the belly, referring to its long ventral (or pelvic) fins

Sciadonus pedicellaris Garman 1899 genitive singular of pedicellus (L.), small foot or stalk, referring, to its “pedicellate” (with a bony stalk or pedicel) pectoral fins

Sciadonus robinsi Nielsen 2018 in honor of C. Richard Robins (1928–2020), formerly University of Miami, and his son Robert H. Robins, Ichthyology Collection Manager, Florida Museum of Natural History, who together over the past 50 years “generously” sent Nielsen numerous ophidiiform specimens [preferably spelled robinsorum since name honors more than one person, but ICZN 32.5.1 forbids such a correction]

Stygnobrotula Böhlke 1957 stygnós (στυγνός), surly, morose or sullen, referring to its “surly or sour-faced appearance”; Brotula, type genus of family (placed in Brotulidae at time of description)

Stygnobrotula latebricola Böhlke 1957 latebra (L.), a hiding place; –cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, “one that dwells in lurking-places,” presumably referring to habitat where holotype was captured, a coral head rising from white sand in 10.6 m of slightly murky water

Thermichthys Nielsen & Cohen 2005 thermós (θερμός), hot, referring to hydrothermal vents along the Galapagos Rift Zone, type locality; ichthýs (ἰχθύς), fish [replacement name for Gerhardia Nielsen & Cohen 2002, preoccupied in beetles]

Thermichthys hollisi (Cohen, Rosenblatt & Moser 1990) in honor of “expert” Alvin submersible pilot Ralph Hollis (1932–2013), who “finally captured this elusive fish”

Timorichthys Nielsen & Schwarzhans 2011 named for Timor Sea, off coast of northwestern Australia, type locality of T. disjunctus; ichthýs (ἰχθύς), fish

Timorichthys angustus Nielsen, Okamoto & Schwarzhans 2013 Latin for narrow, referring to its narrow interorbital width compared to T. disjunctus

Timorichthys disjunctus Nielsen & Schwarzhans 2011 Latin for separated or distant, referring to position of anus midway between tip of snout and origin of anal fin

Tuamotuichthys Møller, Schwarzhans & Nielsen 2004 named for Tuamotu Archipelago, South Pacific Ocean, type locality of B. bispinosus; ichthýs (ἰχθύς), fish

Tuamotuichthys bispinosus Møller, Schwarzhans & Nielsen 2004 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; spinosus (L.), thorny, referring to two opercular spines

Tuamotuichthys marshallensis Nielsen, Schwarzhans, Møller & Randall 2006 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Marshall Islands, type locality

Tuamotuichthys schwarzhansi Nielsen & Møller 2008 in honor of Werner Schwarzhans, retired oil geologist turned ichthyologist-paleontologist (University of Copenhagen, Natural History Museum), for his “great” contributions to ophidiiform taxonomy