Updated 7 Nov. 2025
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Dogtooth Pearlfishes
Subfamily PYRAMODONTINAE Smith 1955
Pyramodon Smith & Radcliffe 1913 etymology not explained, perhaps pyramís (πυραμίς), pyramid, and odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to large, robust canine on head of vomer
Pyramodon lindas Markle & Olney 1990 Anglicized plural of two mature women both named Linda (presumably wives) who supported the authors’ work, an allusion to the fact that holotype and paratype are both mature females
Pyramodon parini Markle & Olney 1990 in honor of Nikolai Vasil’evich Parin (1932–2012), Russian Academy of Sciences, who independently recognized the distinctiveness of this species during his studies of the Nazca and Sala y Gomez Ridge fauna, for his many contributions to oceanic ichthyology
Pyramodon punctatus (Regan 1914) Latin for spotted, its olivaceous body “powdered with little dark spots”
Pyramodon ventralis Smith & Radcliffe 1913 Latin for of the belly, distinguished from Snyderidia by the presence of ventral-fin filaments
Snyderidia Gilbert 1905 -idia (L. suffix), having the nature of: American ichthyologist John Otterbein Snyder (1867–1943), who “ably assisted” Gilbert on the Hawaiian cruise that collected holotype
Snyderidia canina Gilbert 1905 Latin for canine or like a dog, referring to a pair of long, curved canine teeth on upper jaw that close outside the mouth
Fierasfers
Subfamily CARAPINAE Poey 1867
Carapus Rafinesque 1810 Latinization of carapo, local Brazilian name for knifefishes (Gymnotiformes), reflecting Rafinesque’s belief that two groups of fishes, based on a superficial resemblance, are related
Carapus acus (Brünnich 1768) Latin for needle, referring to its elongate, acute body
Carapus bermudensis (Jones 1874) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Bermuda, type locality
Carapus dubius (Putnam 1874) Latin for doubtful or uncertain, presumably referring to Putnam’s concern that if morphological variability exhibited within this species is shared by other species in the genus, then some of them “may prove to be unworthy of specific rank”
Carapus mourlani (Petit 1934) in honor of documentary filmmaker Roger Mourlan (1912-1987), Petit’s “young companion” (translation) on expedition that collected holotype
Carapus sluiteri (Weber 1905) in honor of Dutch biologist Carel Philip Sluiter (1854–1933), who discovered the only known specimen of this fish inside the body of Polycarpa aurata, a sea squirt or tunicate
Echiodon Thompson 1837 échis (ἔχις), viper or adder; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth; per Thompson (1839), referring to two large teeth on upper jaw, “resembling serpents’ fangs”
Echiodon anchipterus Williams 1984 ánchi (ἄγχι), near; pterus, from pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to position of anus near pectoral-fin base
Echiodon atopus Anderson 2005 Latinization of atopos (ἄτοπος), out of place, referring to Anderson’s original expectation that the type specimen belonged to the circumglobal E. cryomargarites
Echiodon coheni Williams 1984 in honor of American ichthyologist Daniel M. Cohen (1930-2017), Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, for his contributions to ophidiiform systematics, and for encouragement and assistance given to Williams
Echiodon cryomargarites Markle, Williams & Olney 1983 cryo, from krýo (κρύο), cold, referring to its Antarctic distribution; margarites, from margaritari (μαργαριτάρι), pearl, i.e., a pearlfish
Echiodon dawsoni Williams & Shipp 1982 in honor of Canadian-born American ichthyologist Charles E. Dawson (1922–1993), Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (Ocean Springs, Mississippi, USA), for his many contributions to ichthyology (he also provided specimens and radiographs to the authors)
Echiodon dentatus (Cuvier 1829) Latin for toothed, referring to two large teeth on upper jaw
Echiodon drummondii Thompson 1837 in honor of Irish physician-naturalist-botanist James Lawson Drummond (1783–1853), who discovered holotype dead on a beach
Echiodon exsilium Rosenblatt 1961 Latin for banishment or exile, referring to its geographic isolation (Gulf of California, Mexico) from congeners known at the time (North Atlantic, Mediterranean)
Echiodon neotes Markle & Olney 1990 neotēs (νεότης), youth, described from what appears to be a larval specimen that is not referable to any known species of the genus
Echiodon pegasus Markle & Olney 1990 named for Pegasus Bight, Auckland Islands, New Zealand, type locality
Echiodon prionodon Parmentier 2012 príōn (πρίων), saw; odon, from odoús (Gr. ὀδούς), tooth, referring to serrated margin on posterior edge of fangs
Echiodon pukaki Markle & Olney 1990 named for Pukaki Rise, New Zealand, type locality
Echiodon rendahli (Whitley 1941) in honor of Swedish zoologist and artist Hialmar Rendahl (1891–1969), who collected larval Echiodon in the Tasman Sea, which Whitley used in his description
Encheliophis Müller 1842 énchelys (ἔγχελυς), eel, presumably referring to eel-like shape of E. vermiculatus; óphis (ὄφις), serpent, possibly referring to body shape and/or presumed relationship with Ophidion (Ophidiidae)
Encheliophis boraborensis (Kaup 1856) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Bora Bora Island, Society Islands (French Polynesia, South Pacific), type locality
Encheliophis chardewalli Parmentier 2004 a combination of the names of Belgian ichthyologists Michel Chardon and Pierre Vandewalle, both of the University of Liège, for their “scientific accomplishments” in ichthyology
Encheliophis gracilis (Bleeker 1856) Latin for thin or slender, referring to its very compressed and elongate body
Encheliophis homei (Richardson 1846) in honor of English surgeon-naturalist Everard Home (1756–1832), for his “zeal” in collecting “objects of Natural History” along the coasts of China and Australia (possibly including holotype of this species)
Encheliophis sagamianus (Tanaka 1908) -anus (L.), belonging to: Sagami Bay, Japan, type locality
Encheliophis vermicularis Müller 1842 Latin for worm-like (i.e., vermiculate), presumably referring to its body shape
Encheliophis vermiops Markle & Olney 1990 vermis (L.), worm; ṓps (ὦψ), eye or face (i.e., appearance), referring to “general appearance” of the head
Eurypleuron Markle & Olney 1990 eurýs (εὐρύς), wide or broad; pleuron (L.), rib (i.e., side), referring to expanded, plate-like parapophyses on thoracic vertebrae, a sexually dimorphic character of males of this genus
Eurypleuron owasianum (Matsubara 1953) -anus (L.), belonging to: off the coast of Owase (also spelled Owasi), Mie Prefecture, Japan, type locality
Onuxodon Smith 1955 ónyx (ὄνυξ), talon or claw; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to recurved, sharp fangs of O. parvibrachium, “exactly resembling the sheathed claws of a cat”
Onuxodon albometeori Koeda 2019 albus (L.), white, i.e., of a white meteor, referring to whitish coloration and very elongated, posteriorly shallowing body, presumably like the tail of meteor as it enters Earth’s atmosphere
Onuxodon fowleri (Smith 1955) in honor of American ichthyologist Henry Weed Fowler (1878–1965), Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, who misidentified this species as Jordanicus caninus (=Carapus dubius) in 1927
Onuxodon margaritiferae (Rendahl 1921) of a pearl-bearer, from margarita (L.), pearl, and –fer, from fero (L.), to have or bear, specimens found in the mantle of a large pearl-bearing mussel
Onuxodon parvibrachium (Fowler 1927) parvus (L.), small; brachium, from bracchium (L.), forearm, referring to its short pectoral fins
Square-mouthed Pearlfish
Subfamily TETRAGONDACNINAE Prokofiev 2004
Tetragondacnus Anderson & Satria 2007 tetragōnos (τετράγωνος), square; dacnus, from daknō (δάκνω), to bite, referring to squarish shape of open mouth
Tetragondacnus spilotus Anderson & Satria 2007 from spilōtós (σπιλωτός), marked or stained, referring to large dark blotches on body
Whiptailed Pearlfish
Subfamily HYPOPLEURONINAE Prokofiev 2004
Hypopleuron Smith & Radcliffe 1913 hypó (ὑπό), under or beneath; pleuron (L.), rib, presumably referring to broad and inflated parapophyses, which form a large bony case nearly enclosing cavity normally occupied by air bladder
Hypopleuron caninum Smith & Radcliffe 1913 Latin for canine or like a dog, referring to a canine tooth at front of each upper jaw bone