COMMENTS
v. 4.0 – 10 Dec. 2024 view/download PDF
Family BEMBRIDAE Deepwater Flatheads
3 genera · 9 species
Bambradon Jordan & Richardson 1908 ancient Greek word for a kind of small fish (e.g., anchovy, sprat, smelt), presumably used here to replicate Cuvier’s source for Bembras, also an ancient Greek word for a kind of small fish (see below), original genus of B. laevis
Bambradon laevis (Nyström 1887) smooth, referring to smooth top of head, without spines and ridges
Bembras Cuvier 1829 etymology not explained, probably from an ancient Greek word for a kind of small fish (e.g., anchovy, sprat, smelt) dating to at least Aristotle that Cuvier applied to this genus (as he had done with other genera he proposed, e.g., Synodontis, Salanx, Premnas); Jordan & Richardson (1908) said name means “grasshopper,” but they appear to have confused bembras with membrax (Holger Funk, pers. comm.)
Bembras adenensis Imamura & Knapp 1997 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Gulf of Aden, western Indian Ocean, type locality
Bembras andamanensis Imamura, Psomadakis & Thein 2018 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Andaman Sea, Indian Ocean, Myanmar, where it appears to be endemic
Bembras japonica Cuvier 1829 Japanese, referring to type locality (occurs in western Pacific from China and Taiwan to Korea and Japan)
Bembras leslieknappi Imamura, Psomadakis & Thein 2018 in honor of the late Leslie W. Knapp (1929-2017), Smithsonian Institution, who contributed “greatly” to fish taxonomy, especially that of deepwater flatheads (Bembridae) and flatheads (Platycephalidae)
Bembras longipinnis Imamura & Knapp 1998 longus, long; pinnis, fin, referring to “slightly long” pectoral fin with 17-19 rays
Bembras macrolepis Imamura 1998 macro-, large; lepis, scale, having the largest body scales (55-62 along lateral line) in the genus
Bembras megacephala Imamura & Knapp 1998 mega-, large; cephalus, head, referring to longer head compared with B. japonica and B. longipinnis
Brachybembras Fowler 1938 brachys, short, related to Bembras but with a shorter snout (shorter than eye)
Brachybembras aschemeieri Fowler 1938 in honor of Charles R. W. Aschemeier (1892-1973), taxidermist of the U. S. National Museum, who has secured many fishes for that museum’s collection (but not this species)
Family PARABEMBRIDAE
Taxonomic note: Placed in Bembridae by some workers.
Parabembras Bleeker 1874 para-, near; Bembras, original genus of P. curta
Parabembras curta (Temminck & Schlegel 1843) short, presumably referring to shorter snout compared with Bembras japonica, its presumed congener at the time
Parabembras multisquamata Kai & Fricke 2018 multi-, many; squamatus, scaled, referring to high number (40-44) of pored lateral-line scales
Parabembras robinsoni Regan 1921 in honor of John Benjamin Romer Robinson (1869-1949), South African attorney, businessman and recreational angler, who provided type to the British Museum
Family PLATYCEPHALIDAE Flatheads
17 genera · 86 species
Ambiserrula Imamura 1996 ambi-, around; serrula, little saw, referring to finely serrated suborbital ridge
Ambiserrula jugosa (McCulloch 1914) mountainous (i.e., with peaks and ridges), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to rough head, with a “series of three to four ridges diverging backward from the base of a small spine behind the eye on each side”
Cociella Whitley 1940 –ella, diminutive of: replacement name for Cocius Jordan & Hubbs 1925, preoccupied by Cocius Navás 1921 in insects, original etymology not explained, presumably a latinization of kochi, also spelled gochi, a general name in Japanese for species of Platycephalidae and Callionymidae (Syngnathiformes)
Cociella crocodilus (Cuvier 1829) crocodile, referring to “crocodile-like flathead” (translation), from illustration caption in Tilesius 1814 (date sometimes given as 1812, but 1814 is on cover); since 1814 name is printed in Cyrillic letters, it is not available
Cociella heemstrai Knapp 1996 in honor of Phillip C. Heemstra (1941-2019) J. L. B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology (now South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity), who, over the years, has contributed many specimens of flatheads to Knapp’s studies
Cociella hutchinsi Knapp 1996 in honor of ichthyologist J. Barry Hutchins (b. 1946), Western Australian Museum, who has provided “substantial assistance to the author’s studies of Australian flatheads”
Cociella martingomoni Imamura & Aungtonya 2020 in honor of Martin F. Gomon (b. 1945), senior curator of fishes, Museum of Victoria (Melbourne, Australia), “who has contributed greatly to ichthyology”
Cociella punctata (Cuvier 1829) spotted, referring to small dark brown-red dots (in alcohol) on head (also on sides)
Cociella somaliensis Knapp 1996 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Somalia, off whose shores all but one of the known specimens were captured (also occurs off Oman)
Cymbacephalus Fowler 1938 cymba, cavity; cephalus, head, referring to large deep pit behind each eye of C. nematophthalmus
Cymbacephalus beauforti (Knapp 1973) in honor of the late Lieven Ferdinand de Beaufort (1879-1968), University of Amsterdam, who, “in addition to his many notable contributions to ichthyology, at the age of 88 wrote a most informative and encouraging letter” to Knapp concerning the need for a revision of the Platycephalidae
Cymbacephalus bosschei (Bleeker 1860) in honor of Jules Felicien Romain Stanislas van den Bossche (1819-1889), Dutch colonial administrator and resident of Banka Island, Indonesia, type locality, who provided holotype
Cymbacephalus nematophthalmus (Günther 1860) nemato-, thread; ophthalmus, eye, referring to tentacle of “moderate length above the orbit”
\Cymbacephalus parilis McCulloch 1914 like (i.e., similar), “closely allied” to Inegocia japonica and I. quoyi (=Cociella punctata), its presumed congeners at the time, “but apparently differs from all in the relative sizes of the eye and the snout, and in the colour marking”
Elates Jordan & Seale 1907 Greek for leader or driver, allusion not explained nor evident
Elates ransonnettii (Steindachner 1876) in honor of Eugen von Ransonnet-Villez (1838-1926), Austrian diplomat, painter, lithographer, biologist and explorer, who sent a collection of fishes from Singapore, including type of this one
Grammoplites Fowler 1904 gramme, line; hoplites, armed, referring to lateral line of G. scaber “armed with spines”
Grammoplites knappi Imamura & Amaoka 1994 in honor of platycephalid systematist Leslie W. Knapp (1929-2017), Smithsonian Institution
Grammoplites scaber (Linnaeus 1758) rough, referring to each scale with a backward directed spine that extends beyond rear margin of scale, especially along caudal peduncle
Grammoplites suppositus (Troschel 1840) substituted, essentially a replacement name for three specimens that had been misidentified as Platycephalus scaber
Grammoplites vittatus Valenciennes 1833 banded, described as having three pale bands on body in life, the first on occiput, the second at base of first ray of second dorsal fin, the third on tail
Inegocia Jordan & Thompson 1913 latinization of Inegochi, “rice flathead,” Japanese common name for I. japonica; gochi, also spelled kochi, is a general name in Japanese for species of Platycephalidae and Callionymidae (Syngnathiformes)
Inegocia harrisii (McCulloch 1914) in honor of entomologist Ronald Hamlyn-Harris (1874–1953), Director of the Queensland Museum, to whom McCulloch was “indebted for much valuable assistance when working at the collections under his charge”
Inegocia japonica (Cuvier 1829) Japanese, no type locality stated but probably from Nagasaki, Japan (occurs in eastern Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean from Sri Lanka and Myanmar east to Philippines, north to southern Sea of Japan, south to northern Australia)
Inegocia ochiaii Imamura 2010 in honor of Akira Ochiai (1923-2017), Kochi University, for his many contributions to fish taxonomy, including those for the Platycephalidae
Insidiator Jordan & Snyder 1900 ambusher or lurker, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to ambush-style feeding behavior of platycephalids, burying themselves in the sand with only their eyes exposed, waiting for prey to swim or crawl by, and then striking rapidly, engulfing the prey in their large mouths (name may have been inspired by Cottus insidiator Forsskål 1775, a junior synonym of Platycephalus indicus)
Insidiator cooperi (Regan 1908) in honor of paleontologist Clive Forster Cooper (1880-1947), a member of 1900 expedition to the Indian Ocean, during which type was collected
Insidiator macracanthus (Bleeker 1869) macro-, long or large; acanthus, thorn or spine, referring to longer opercular spine compared with Platycephalus bobossok (=Sunagocia carbunculus), its presumed congener at the time
Insidiator meerdervoortii (Bleeker 1860) in honor of Johannes Lijdius Catharinus Pompe van Meerdervoort (1829-1908), Dutch physician based in Nagasaki, Japan, who collected fishes for Bleeker, although it is not clear if he collected this one
Kumococius Matsubara & Ochiai 1955 latinization of Kumogochi, “cloud flathead,” Japanese name for K. detrusus (=rodericensis); gochi, also spelled kochi, is a general name in Japanese for species of Platycephalidae and Callionymidae (Syngnathiformes)
Kumococius rodericensis (Cuvier 1829) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Rodrigues, one of the Mascarene Islands, although type locality is Reunion Island (occurs in Indo-West Pacific from Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and western Mascarenes east to Philippines, north to southern Japan, south to northern Australia)
Leviprora Whitley 1931 levis, smooth; prora, prow, presumably referring to “No exposed bony ridges on upper surface of cranium” of L. inops
Leviprora inops (Jenyns 1840) poor, weak or helpless, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to smooth head, “with hardly anything deserving the name of spines, excepting only a small flat spine terminating the opercle, and a minute but sharp one on the upper ridge of the scapula,” and/or “very short and inconspicuous” preopercular spines
Leviprora semermis (De Vis 1883) etymology not explained, perhaps semi-, half; –ermis, armed, referring to smooth head but spined opercle and preopercle
Onigocia Jordan & Thompson 1913 latinization of Onigogochi, “devil flathead,” Japanese common name for O. spinosa; gochi, also spelled kochi, is a general name in Japanese for species of Platycephalidae and Callionymidae (Syngnathiformes)
Onigocia bimaculata Knapp, Imamura & Sakashita 2000 bi-, two; maculata, spotted, referring to two dark spots “readily visible” on first dorsal fin
Onigocia grandisquamis (Regan 1908) grandis, large; squamis, scales, referring to larger scales than presumed congeners in Platycephalus
Onigocia lacrimalis Imamura & Knapp 2009 lacrimal, referring to “characteristic absence of distinct antrorse lachrymal spines”
Onigocia macrocephala (Weber 1913) macro-, long or large; cephalus, head, comprising nearly ⅓ TL
Onigocia macrolepis (Bleeker 1854) macro-, long or large; lepis, scale, referring to larger scales compared with the similar O. spinosa
Onigocia oligolepis (Regan 1908) oligos, few; lepis, scale, referring to large (and therefore fewer) scales (31 in a longitudinal series)
Onigocia pedimacula (Regan 1908) ped, foot; macula, spot, allusion not explained but described as closely related to O. oligolepis, which has a dusky spot on each ventral fin
Onigocia sibogae Imamura 2011 of the Siboga, vessel from which type specimens were collected, Siboga Expedition (1898-1899) [replacement name for Platycephalus grandisquamis Weber 1913, preoccupied by P. grandisquamis (now O. grandisquama) Regan 1908]
Onigocia spinosa (Temminck & Schlegel 1843) spiny, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to any or all of the following: 3-6 preocular spines, three preopercular spines at angle of preopercle, anterior 8-15 scales bearing spines
Papilloculiceps Fowler & Steinitz 1956 papilla, nipple, and oculus, eye, referring to small and inconspicuous flattened papilla on upper surface of eyeball of P. grandidieri (=longiceps); ceps, head, perhaps alluding to P. longiceps
Papilloculiceps longiceps (Cuvier 1829) longus, long; ceps, head, manuscript name coined by Ehrenberg, presumably referring to long, flat, crocodile-like head
Platycephalus Bloch 1795 platys, flat; cephalus, head, referring to their wide, flattened head, hence the common name “flathead”
Platycephalus angustus Steindachner 1866 narrow, presumably referring to width of head relative to known congeners, described as 15/6 times in HL
Platycephalus aurimaculatus Knapp 1987 aureus, golden; maculatus, spotted, referring to “distinctive” golden spots on body and fins
Platycephalus australis Imamura 2015 southern, referring to Australia (Queensland to Western Australia), where it appears to be endemic
Platycephalus bassensis Cuvier 1829 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Bass Strait, Victoria, Australia, type locality (also occurs off New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia)
Platycephalus caeruleopunctatus McCulloch 1922 caeruleus, blue; punctatus, spotted, referring to blue (variably pale blue to whitish or red) spots on a brownish body
Platycephalus chauliodous Knapp 1991 chaulios, prominent; odus, tooth, referring to prominent canine teeth
Platycephalus conatus Waite & McCulloch 1915 an attempt, effort, undertaking, enterprise or endeavor, allusion not explained nor evident
Platycephalus cultellatus Richardson 1846 having a cultella, or cutlass, allusion not explained nor evident
Platycephalus endrachtensis Quoy & Gaimard 1825 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Eendraghtsland, an early name for Australia, referring to type locality at Shark Bay, Western Australia
Platycephalus fuscus Cuvier 1829 dusky, referring to its “darker shades” (translation) compared with congeners known to Cuvier
Platycephalus grandispinis Cuvier 1829 grandis, large; spinis, spine, referring to greatly enlarged lower preopercular spine, much longer than upper spine, almost reaching rear margin of gill cover
Platycephalus indicus (Linnaeus 1758) Indian, probably referring to Indian Ocean of Asia, proposed in Callionymus (Syngnathiformes: Callionymidae), then known only from the eastern Atlantic
Platycephalus laevigatus Cuvier 1829 smoothed, referring to smooth head, without ridges or spines
Platycephalus marmoratus Stead 1908 marbled, referring to back and sides “richly marbled with red and white (giving a fairly-close resemblance to polished red Moruya granite)”
Platycephalus orbitalis Imamura & Knapp 2009 of the orbis, Latin for eye, referring to narrower interorbit compared with P. marmoratus
Platycephalus richardsoni Castelnau 1872 in honor of surgeon-naturalist John Richardson (1787-1865), who proposed P. tasmanius (=bassensis) in 1842
Platycephalus speculator Klunzinger 1872 explorer, searcher or investigator, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “much larger” (translation) eyes compared with P. insidiator (=indicus)
Platycephalus westraliae (Whitley 1938) of Western Australia, where type locality (Swan River estuary) is situated (also occurs in New South Wales and across northern Australia, and southern coasts of Papua New Guinea and Java)
Ratabulus Jordan & Hubbs 1925 etymology not explained, but since name was also spelled Rutabulus by the authors, probably from rutabulum, Latin for shovel, referring to shovel-nosed head of R. megacephalus
Ratabulus diversidens (McCulloch 1914) diversus, different; dens, teeth, referring to teeth “larger than usual in the genus,” then placed in Insidiator
Ratabulus fulviguttatus Imamura & Gomon 2010 fulvus, brownish yellow; guttatus, spotted, referring to small reddish-brown or brown spots on dorsal surface of head and body
Sorsogona humerosus (Knapp & Heemstra 2011) pertaining to the shoulder, referring to characteristic dark blotches on humeral area under opercle
Ratabulus megacephalus (Tanaka 1917) mega-, large; cephalus, head, referring to larger head compared with presumed congeners in Thysanophrys
Ratabulus melanopterus (Knapp & Wongratana 1987) melanos, black; pterus, finned, referring to first dorsal fin dusky with dark spots along sides
Ratabulus nigripinnus (Regan 1905) niger, black; pinnis, finned, referring to “blackish” fins
Ratabulus portuguesus (Smith 1953) Portuguese, presumably referring to Mozambique (type locality), then an overseas province of Portugal
Ratabulus prionotus (Sauvage 1873) jagged or serrated, presumably referring to finely serrate body ridges above and below eye
Ratabulus tuberculatus (Cuvier 1829) tuberculate, referring to bony tubercles on opercular scales and top of head
Ratabulus ventralis Imamura & Gomon 2010 ventral, referring to long ventral (pelvic) fin (26.2-28.2% SL)
Rogadius Jordan & Richardson 1908 latinization of rogad, Arabic name of Platycephalus indicus
Rogadius asper (Cuvier 1829) rough, referring to “roughness and asperities of its skull and several other parts of its head” (translation)
Rogadius fehlmanni Knapp 2012 in honor of ichthyologist-herpetologist Herman Adair Fehlmann (1917-2005), Smithsonian Oceanographic Sorting Center, “dedicated and intrepid collector of fishes,” who collected holotype in 1964
Rogadius mcgroutheri Imamura 2007 in honor of Mark McGrouther (b. 1958), Collection Manager, Ichthyology, Australian Museum (AMS), who “variously supported” Imamura’s work when he visited AMS, during which he found specimens of this species; “I could not have completed my work at AMS without his support”
Rogadius patriciae Knapp 1987 in honor of Patricia J. Kailola, The University of the South Pacific (Suva, Fiji), for her many contributions to the knowledge of the fishes of northwestern Australia and southern Indonesia
Rogadius pristiger (Cuvier 1829) pristis, saw; –iger, to carry, referring to finely serrated bony ridges on head
Rogadius serratus (Cuvier 1829) toothed like a saw, referring to finely serrate supraorbital and suborbital ridges
Rogadius welanderi (Schultz 1966) in honor of fisheries biologist Arthur D. Welander (1908-1982), University of Washington (Seattle, USA), who was at Bikini Atoll during the summers 1946-49, studying the radiation effects on living fishes
Solitas Imamura 1996 from the Latin solitarius, alone, referring to isolated distribution of S. gruveli (along eastern Atlantic coast of Africa, including São Tomé and Principe)
Solitas gruveli (Pellegrin 1905) in honor of biologist Jean Abel Gruvel (1870-1941), who collected type
Sunagocia Imamura 2003 latinization of sunagochi, Japanese name of type species, S. arenicola, from suna, sand, and gochi, also spelled kochi, a general name in Japan for species of Platycephalidae and Callionymidae (Syngnathiformes)
Sunagocia arenicola (Schultz 1966) arena, sand; colere, to inhabit, presumably referring to its occurrence in loose sandy areas between coral heads
Sunagocia carbunculus (Valenciennes 1833) carbuncle, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to the “strength and quantity of the thorns [spines] that bristle the head” (translation)
Sunagocia omanensis Knapp & Randall 2013 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Oman, where type locality and only known area of occurrence (Kuria Muria Islands) is situated
Sunagocia otaitensis (Cuvier 1829) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Otaheite, now known as Tahiti, South Pacific, type locality (occurs in Indo-West Pacific from South Africa, East Africa, Madagascar and western Mascarenes east to Marshall Islands and Pitcairn Group, north to southern Japan and Ogasawara islands, south to Australia, New Caledonia and Tonga)
Sunagocia sainsburyi Knapp & Imamura 2004 in honor of marine biologist Keith J. Sainsbury (b. 1952), collector of holotype and other flatheads later during the F/V Soela cruises
Thysanophrys Ogilby 1898 thysanos, fringe; ophrys, eyebrow, referring to series of dermal appendages above eye of T. cirronasus
Thysanophrys armata (Fowler 1938) armed, referring to “strong” armature (spines) of the head
Thysanophrys celebica (Bleeker 1855) –icus, belonging to: Manado, Celebes (now Sulawesi), Indonesia, type locality (occurs in Indo-West Pacific from East Africa, Madagascar and Persian Gulf east to Solomon Islands, north to Izu Islands of Japan, south to northern Australia)
Thysanophrys chiltonae Schultz 1966 eponym not explained, probably in honor of the USS Chilton, which hosted survey team led by Schultz studying reef fishes after the Bikini Atoll (Marshall Islands) nuclear tests
Thysanophrys cirronasus (Richardson 1848) cirrus, curl or tendril; nasus, nose, referring to “pointed thin membranous barbel” on anterior nostril
Thysanophrys longirostris (Shao & Chen 1987) longus, long; rostris, snout, referring to “relatively” longer snout compared with most other platycephalids
Thysanophrys papillaris Imamura & Knapp 1999 –is, genitive singular of: papilla, nipple, referring to characteristic small papilla on upper surface of eye
Thysanophrys randalli Knapp 2013 in honor of John E. Randall (1924-2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), who collected many of the flatheads included in Knapp’s study
Thysanophrys rarita Knapp 2013 rare or scarce, known only from holotype collected off Somalia
Thysanophrys springeri Knapp 2013 in honor of ichthyologist Victor G. Springer (b. 1928), U.S. National Museum, who collected holotype and five paratypes from several localities off Massawa, Eritrea, in 1969
Thysanophrys tricaudata Knapp 2013 tri-, three; caudata, tailed, referring to three dark bars on caudal fin
Family HOPLICHTHYIDAE Ghost Flatheads
1 genus · 17 species
Hoplichthys Cuvier 1829 hoplo-, armed, presumably referring to series of large bony plates on body of H. langsdorfii, each armed with two spines; ichthys, fish [spelled Oplichthys in text, Hoplichthys in table of contents; spelling with “H” is in prevailing usage]
Hoplichthys acanthopleurus Regan 1908 acanthus, thorn or spine; pleurus, side, referring to 27 scutes in a longitudinal series along sides, each scute with a well-developed spine and a second very small spine below
Hoplichthys citrinus Gilbert 1905 like a citron (a lemon-like fruit), referring to color in life, “very bright lemon-yellow or olive-yellow on all upper parts, including fins”
Hoplichthys fasciatus Matsubara 1937 banded, referring to back and sides crossed with four brownish-black bars, the last one markedly darker
Hoplichthys filamentosus Matsubara & Ochiai 1950 with filaments, referring to fifth and sixth pectoral-fin rays prolonged into filaments
Hoplichthys gilberti Jordan & Richardson 1908 in honor of ichthyologist, fisheries biologist and Jordan’s Stanford University colleague Charles H. Gilbert (1859-1928)
Hoplichthys gregoryi (Fowler 1938) in honor of zoologist William K. Gregory (1876-1970), American Museum of Natural History
Hoplichthys haswelli McCulloch 1907 in honor of Scottish-born Australian zoologist William Aitcheson Haswell (1854-1925), leader of expedition during which type was collected
Hoplichthys imamurai Nagano, McGrouther & Yabe 2013 in honor of Hisashi Imamura, Hokkaido University Museum (Hakodate, Japan), for his “great” contribution to the systematics of the Platycephaloidei, including Hoplichthyidae
Hoplichthys langsdorfii Cuvier 1829 in honor of Georg Heinrich von Langsdorff (1774-1852), Prussian naturalist and diplomat in Japan, who collected and/or supplied type
Hoplichthys mcgroutheri Nagano, Imamura & Yabe 2014 in honor of Mark McGrouther (b. 1958), Collection Manager, Ichthyology, Australian Museum (AMS), for his “valuable” contributions to the taxonomy of Hoplichthyidae
Hoplichthys mimaseanus Nagano, Endo & Yabe 2013 –anus, belonging to: Mimase fish market, Kochi City, Kochi Prefecture, Japan, where holotype was collected
Hoplichthys ogilbyi McCulloch 1914 in honor of ichthyologist James Douglas Ogilby (1853-1925), Queensland Museum (Australia)
Hoplichthys pectoralis (Fowler 1943) pectoral, referring to “greatly developed” pectoral fins
Hoplichthys platophrys Gilbert 1905 platys, wide; ophrys, eyebrow, referring to “much wider” interorbital space compared with H. citrinus
Hoplichthys prosemion (Fowler 1938) pro-, forward; semeion, banner, referring to long spinous dorsal fin with 5th to 8th rays prolonged as filaments
Hoplichthys regani Jordan 1908 in honor of ichthyologist Charles Tate Regan (1878-1943), Natural History Museum (London), who informed Jordan that H. langsdorfii as identified in Jordan & Richardson 1908 represented a distinct species
Hoplichthys smithi (Fowler 1938) in honor of ichthyologist Hugh M. Smith (1865-1941), who collected type
Family PLECTROGENIIDAE Stinger Flatheads
2 genera · 13 species
Bembradium Gilbert 1905 –ium, adjectival suffix, i.e., Bembras-like, presumed to be related to Bembras (Bembridae) and Parabembras (Parabembridae)
Bembradium furici Fourmanoir & Rivaton 1979 in honor of Pierre Furic, commander of the trawler Vauban, which obtained around 10 new species, including this one, via deep trawling in the Philippines, New Caledonia and Madagascar
Bembradium magnoculum Kishimoto, Kawai, Tashiro & Aungtonya 2019 magnus, large; oculum, eyed, referring to its large eyes (13.2% SL)
Bembradium roseum Gilbert 1905 rosy, referring to reddish upper body color in life, “the red color intensified on cheeks, on opercles, in a blotch under spinous dorsal, one under soft dorsal and one on caudal peduncle; soft dorsal and caudal barred with red, and translucent, anal and spinous dorsal uniform red; pectorals marked with irregular red blotches; ventrals silvery, tinged with red”
Plectrogenium Gilbert 1905 plectrum, spur; geneion, chin or cheek, referring to “series of very strong spines along sides of head” of P. nanum
Plectrogenium barsukovi Mandrytsa 1992 in honor of Vladimir Viktorovich Barsukov (1922-1989), “well-known” (translation) Soviet researcher of scorpaenoid fishes
Plectrogenium capricornis Matsunuma, Uesaka, Yamakawa & Endo 2021 –is, genitive singular of: Capricorn, referring to Tropic of Capricorn, which crosses its type locality; in addition, capricorn is Latin for “having horns like a goat,” referring to its relatively long parietal spines
Plectrogenium kamoharai Uesaka, Yamakawa, Matsunuma & Endo 2021 in honor of Japanese ichthyologist Toshiji Kamohara (1901-1972), Kochi University, for his “great” contributions to the ichthyology of Japan, especially in Tosa Bay, type locality of this species
Plectrogenium kanayamai Uesaka, Yamakawa, Matsunuma & Endo 2021 in honor of Japanese ichthyologist Tsutomu Kanayama, Hokkaido University, the first to recognize the uniqueness of this species (in 1982)
Plectrogenium longipinnis Matsunuma, Uesaka, Yamakawa & Endo 2021 longus, long; pinnis, fin, referring to its long anal fin (presumably last soft ray of anal fin (15.1–18.3% of SL)
Plectrogenium megalops Matsunuma, Uesaka, Yamakawa & Endo 2021 mega, large; ops, eye, referring to relatively large eye (orbit diameter 15.0–17.0% of SL)
Plectrogenium nanum Gilbert 1905 dwarf, presumably referring to small size (reaching 7.7 cm SL) compared with presumed closest relatives in Sebastosemus (=Neosebastes, Scorpaenoidei: Neosebastidae), which range from 19-50 cm TL
Plectrogenium occidentale Matsunuma, Uesaka, Yamakawa & Endo 2021 western, the western-most species of the genus [originally spelled occidentalis; emended to agree with neuter gender of genus]
Plectrogenium rubricauda Uesaka, Yamakawa, Matsunuma & Endo 2021 rubri-, red; cauda, tail, referring to “broadly reddish” caudal fin
Plectrogenium serratum Matsunuma, Uesaka, Yamakawa & Endo 2021 serrated, referring to serrated posterior suborbital spines and several opercular margin spines