COMMENTS
v. 4.0 – 31 Aug. 2022 view/download PDF
Family SEBASTIDAE Rockfishes and Rockcods
28 genera/subgenera · 136 species/subspecies
Subfamily SEBASTINAE Rockfishes
Helicolenus Goode & Bean 1896 helikos, twisted or curved (as in helix) but meaning “strong” according to the authors (perhaps a lapsus for hadros); oleni, elbow or arm, referring to “strong pectoral fins” of H. dactylopterus
Helicolenus avius Abe & Eschmeyer 1972 out of the way, remote or solitary, referring to type locality (southern end of Emperor Seamount Chain, northwestern Pacific, depth 450-600 m), an isolated seamount
Helicolenus barathri (Hector 1875) genitive of barathrum, abyss, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its being dredged at 732 m
Helicolenus dactylopterus (Delaroche 1809) dactylos, finger; pterus, finned, referring to lower rays of pectoral fin, their tips tendril-like and extending beyond fin membrane
Helicolenus fedorovi Barsukov 1973 in honor of ichthyologist Vladimir Vladimirovich Fedorov (1939-2011), Pacific Research Institute for Sea Fisheries and Oceanography, “who has long been working on the systematics and zoogeography of fishes of the North Pacific with great initiative and persistence. His unique work, carried out in regions new to our fishing industry, has made a substantial contribution to these branches of ichthyology” (translation)
Helicolenus hilgendorfii (Döderlein 1884) patronym not identified but clearly in honor of German zoologist and paleontologist Franz Hilgendorf (1839-1904), whose publications on Japanese fishes are cited multiple times
Helicolenus lahillei Norman 1937 in honor of Fernando Lahille (1861-1940), French physician and marine biologist, who published an account and illustration of this species, identified as H. dactylopterus, in 1913
Helicolenus lengerichi Norman 1937 in honor of marine biologist Juan Lengerich, University of Chile, who collected type
Helicolenus mouchezi (Sauvage 1875) patronym not identified but almost certainly in honor of French naval officer Ernest Amédée Barthélemy Mouchez (1821-1892), who led 1874 expedition to Saint Paul Island, southern Indian Ocean, to observe the transit of Venus, whereupon type was collected
Helicolenus percoides (Richardson & Solander 1842) –oides, having the form of: perca, perch, described as a “Percoid Sebastes” (Sebastes being its original genus)
Hozukius Matsubara 1934 according to Matsubara, derived from the Japanese name Hôzuki, probably referring to the flowering plant Physalis alkekengi, known as Hozuki in Japan, and whose bright orange-to-red fruit, a traditional part of Buddhist culture, is similar to the bright-red color of H. emblemarius
Hozukius emblemarius (Jordan & Starks 1904) –aria, adjectival suffix: emblema, flag or banner, referring to bright-red color in life, with broad cross-bands of deep crimson extending to the fins, the color almost exactly like that of Sebastes rubrivinctus, which is called “Spanish Flag” along the coast of California (USA)
Hozukius guyotensis Barsukov & Fedorov 1975 –ensis, suffix denoting place: presumably referring to Lyra Guyots, northern Hawaiian Ridge, central Pacific, type locality
Sebastes Cuvier 1829 from Sebastos, an honorific used by the ancient Greeks for the Roman imperial title of Augustus, alluding to ancient name (roughly translated as “august” or “venerable”) of S. norvegica at Ibiza, a Spanish island in the Mediterranean
Subgenus Sebastes
Sebastes fasciatus fasciatus Storer 1854 banded, referring to four “distinct dark, brown, tran[s]verse bands upon the sides, the broadest at posterior portion of the body”
Sebastes fasciatus kellyi Litvinenko 1974 in honor of George F. Kelly (1918-2014), National Marine Fisheries Service (USA), who published the results of long-term observations of this species in the 1950s and 1960s, and supplied type material [name may date to 1979; more research needed]
Sebastes mentella Travin 1951 diminutive of mentum, chin, referring to well-developed symphyseal knob or tubercle
Sebastes norvegicus (Ascanius 1772) Norwegian, referring to Norway, probably in the North Sea, type locality (but no types known)
Sebastes viviparus Krøyer 1845 livebearing; indeed, all rockfishes bear live young
Subgenus Acutomentum Eigenmann & Beeson 1893 acutus, sharp; mentum, chin, referring to projecting lower jaw of S. alutus, S. macdonaldi and S. ovalis
Sebastes alutus (Gilbert 1890) unwashed, presumably referring to dusky body with faint traces of darker blotches along back
Sebastes baramenuke (Wakiya 1917) from bara-menuke, its common name among fishermen in Japan, from the Japanese bara, rose, referring to its rosy red color, and menuke (me, eye; nuke, pulled or dislocated), referring to how its eyes pop out of when fish is pulled from deep water
Sebastes brevispinis (Bean 1884) brevis, short; spinis, spine, proposed as a subspecies of S. proriger in which the second anal-fin spine is shorter, rather than longer, than the third
Sebastes entomelas (Jordan & Gilbert 1880) entos, within; melas, black, referring to “jet-black” peritoneum (italics in original)
Sebastes flammeus (Jordan & Starks 1904) flame-red, “body and fins entirely red”
Sebastes hopkinsi (Cramer 1895) in honor of philanthropist Timothy Hopkins (1859-1936), Menlo Park, California, USA, founder of the Hopkins Seaside Laboratory, where Cramer conducted his research
Sebastes iracundus (Jordan & Starks 1904) wrathful, i.e., red with anger, referring to bright-red color in life (colorless in spirits)
Sebastes kiyomatsui Kai & Nakabo 2004 in honor of the late Kiyomatsu Matsubara (1907-1968), Kyoto University, who “first figured this species as an intraspecific variation of S. scythropus and made a large contribution to the study of scorpaeniform fishes”
Sebastes macdonaldi (Eigenmann & Beeson 1893) patronym not identified but probably in honor of Marshall McDonald (1835-1895), U.S. Commissioner of Fisheries
Sebastes minor Barsukov 1972 small, reaching 20 cm TL, “apparently smaller than in any other scorpaenid from the Asian seaward” (translation)
Sebastes ovalis (Ayres 1862) oval, referring to deep, almost oval body
Sebastes rufus (Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1890) reddish, described as “Rufous, variously marked with brown,” with a “rufous” lateral line
Sebastes scythropus (Jordan & Snyder 1900) pouting, referring to protruding lower lip (per Jordan & Starks 1904)
Sebastes wakiyai (Matsubara 1934) in honor of Yojiro Wakiya (also spelled Yohiro Wakia), superintendent of the Korean Government Fisheries Experiment Station, who loaned specimens and offered “valuable advices and criticisms” of Matsubara’s draft
Subgenus Allosebastes Hubbs 1951 allo-, other or different, i.e., another subgenus of Sebastes, “so distinct as to warrant its separation”
Sebastes cortezi (Beebe & Tee-Van 1938) of the Sea of Cortez, also known as the Gulf of California (México), type locality
Sebastes diploproa (Gilbert 1890) diplos, double; pro[r]a, prow, presumably referring to premaxillaries with prominent dentigerous knobs, forming a deep notch
Sebastes emphaeus (Starks 1911) display or to display, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to dark-green spinous dorsal fin with “bright red towards tips of spines,” “bright red” outer half of soft dorsal fin, and/or “clear brilliant light red” pectoral, ventral and anal fins
Sebastes peduncularis Chen 1975 peduncular, referring to its deep caudal peduncle
Sebastes proriger (Jordan & Gilbert 1880) prora, prow; –iger, to bear, presumably referring to “conspicuous” symphyseal knob at tip of lower jaw
Sebastes rufinanus Lea & Fitch 1972 rufus, red or reddish, referring to color in life, dusky-red color dorsally, grading to a lighter red ventrally; nanus, dwarf, probably not exceeding 165 mm SL based on age of two type specimens
Sebastes saxicola (Gilbert 1890) saxum, stone or rock; –icola, to inhabit, presumably referring to its generally rocky habitat
Sebastes semicinctus (Gilbert 1897) semi-, half; cinctum, girdle or belt, presumably referring to two black or blackish saddles extending from dorsal-fin base to below lateral line
Sebastes sinensis (Gilbert 1890) –ensis, suffix denoting place: sinus, gulf or bay, referring to Gulf of California, where it is endemic [not preoccupied by Sebastes sinensis McClelland 1844, a synonym of Sebastiscus marmoratus and regarded as a nomen oblitum]
Sebastes variegatus Quast 1971 varicolored, referring to dark blotched pattern on sides interrupted over posterior ⅔ of body by an unpigmented band along lateral line
Sebastes varispinis Chen 1975 varius, variable; spinis, spine, referring to variation in number of dorsal-fin spines (12 or 13)
Sebastes wilsoni (Gilbert 1915) in honor of marine biologist Charles Branch Wilson (1861-1941), for his “valuable” contributions to our knowledge of the crustacean parasites of fishes
Sebastes zacentrus (Gilbert 1890) za-, very; centrus, spined, i.e., strong spined, referring to “very long” second anal-fin spine
Subgenus Auctospina Eigenmann & Beeson 1893 auctus, enlarged or increased; spina, spine, presumably referring to coronal spines usually present on S. auriculatus
Sebastes auriculatus Girard 1854 eared, probably referring to dark spot on posterior margin of opercle
Sebastes dallii (Eigenmann & Beeson 1894) in honor of malacologist and explorer William Healey Dall (1845-1927), Smithsonian Institution, who has been “intimately identified with west coast zoology for many years”
Subgenus Emmelas Jordan & Evermann 1898 em-, in; melas, black, referring to “jet-black” peritoneum of S. glaucus
Sebastes glaucus Hilgendorf 1880 hoary blue, allusion not explained, probably referring to gray or blackish body color
Subgenus Eosebastes Jordan & Evermann 1896 sunrise, from Eos, goddess of morning-glow, referring to body color of type species, S. aurora; Sebastes, the nominate genus
Sebastes aurora (Gilbert 1890) dawn or sunrise, presumably referring to uniform red body color, lighter below
Sebastes crameri (Jordan 1897) in honor of Frank Cramer (1861-1948), Stanford University biologist (and student of Jordan), for his work on the cranial osteology of Sebastes
Sebastes melanosema Lea & Fitch 1979 melanos, black; sema, mark or flag, referring to black marks or “flags” on spinous portion of dorsal- and anal-fin membranes
Sebastes melanostomus (Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1890) melanos, black; stomus, mouth, referring to inside of mouth and gill cavity “almost wholly black”
Subgenus Hatumeus Matsubara 1943 etymology not explained, probably a latinization of Hatume (also spelled Hatsume), local name of S. owstoni in Japan
Sebastes owstoni (Jordan & Thompson 1914) in honor of Alan Owston (1853-1915), businessman, yachtsman, and collector of Asian wildlife, who supplied many Japanese fishes to Jordan (but it is not clear if he supplied this one)
Subgenus Hispaniscus Jordan & Evermann 1896 –iscus, a diminutive: Hispania, Spain, referring to “Spanish Flag” common name of S. rubrivinctus among fishermen along the coast of California (USA)
Sebastes elongatus Ayres 1859 elongate, referring to its “much more slender form” compared to congeners then known from San Francisco, California (USA)
Sebastes levis (Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1889) light or mild, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to pink (sometimes light-orange) color of adults (as opposed to red); Jordan & Evermann (1898) say name means “capricious or fantastic” without explanation, although the first adjective could be appropriate since the species is now known for its rapid color changes)
Sebastes rubrivinctus (Jordan & Gilbert 1880) ruber, red; vinctus, banded, referring to “deep, intense crimson-red crossbars” on body
Subgenus Mebarus Matsubara 1943 etymology not explained, probably a latinization of Mebaru, Japanese name for rockfishes
Sebastes atrovirens (Jordan & Gilbert 1880) atro-, black; virens, green, presumably referring to coloration, described as “usually olive-green, marbled with darker”
Sebastes cheni Barsukov 1988 in honor of Lo-Chai (“Lloyd”) Chen, San Diego University (California, USA), who diagnosed but did not name this species in his detailed 1985 study of the S. inermis complex
Sebastes inermis Cuvier 1829 unarmed, referring to absent (or small) supraocular and parietal spines
Sebastes joyneri Günther 1878 in honor of British engineer (constructing railways) Henry Batson Joyner (1839-1884), who presented a collection of sea fishes from Tokyo, Japan, to the British Museum, including type of this one
Sebastes taczanowskii Steindachner 1880 patronym not identified but probably in honor of Polish zoologist Władysław (or Ladislas) Taczanowski (1819-1890), who may have supplied type collected by his fellow Pole, Benedykt Dybowski (1833-1930)
Sebastes thompsoni (Jordan & Hubbs 1925) in honor of fishery biologist William Francis Thompson (1888-1965), University of Washington (Seattle, USA), who, collaborating with Jordan, reported this species as S. joyneri in 1914
Sebastes ventricosus Temminck & Schlegel 1843 potbellied or bulging, allusion not explained nor evident, perhaps referring to rounded nape and/or ventral profile (as shown in plate accompanying description)
Subgenus Murasoius Matsubara 1943 etymology not explained, probably a latinization of Murasoi, common name of S. pachycephalus (type species) in Japan
Sebastes nudus Matsubara 1943 bare or naked, proposed as a subspecies of S. pachycephalus lacking minute scales on back and spinous dorsal fin
Sebastes pachycephalus Temminck & Schlegel 1843 pachys, thick or wide; cephalus, head, probably referring to “larger and wider” (translation) head compared to S. inermis and S. ventricosus
Subgenus Neohispaniscus Matsubara 1943 neo-, new, i.e., a new subgenus “closely related” to Hispaniscus
Sebastes fuscescens (Houttuyn 1782) darkish, referring to its brownish (“Bruinachtige”) coloration [no types known, provisionally included here; possibly a senior synonym of S. schlegeli]
Sebastes schlegelii Hilgendorf 1880 in honor of ornithologist and herpetologist Hermann Schlegel (1804-1884), who, with Coenraad Jacob Temminck (1778-1858), reported this species as S. inermis in their Fauna Japonica (1845) [possibly a junior synonym of S. fuscescens]
Sebastes vulpes Döderlein 1884 fox, allusion not explained nor evident, perhaps from Kitsune-mebaru (Fox Rockfish), its common name in Japan
Sebastes zonatus Chen & Barsukov 1976 banded, referring to vertical dark bands on sides, speckled with white spots
Subgenus Pteropodus Eigenmann & Beeson 1893 ptero-, fin; podus, foot, referring to usually thickened lower pectoral-fin rays of S. maliger (type species) and several other species known at the time, presumably an adaptation for living on the bottom
Sebastes carnatus (Jordan & Gilbert 1880) fleshy (but here used to mean flesh-colored), referring to ground color, “clear flesh color or pinkish, often tinged with grayish purple”
Sebastes caurinus Richardson 1844 northwestern, from caurus, northwest wind, referring to distribution in the Pacific Northwest (Alaska, USA, type locality)
Sebastes chrysomelas (Jordan & Gilbert 1881) chrysos, gold; melas, black, referring to its black-and-yellow color (the latter varying from a “clear, warm, brownish yellow, with some specks of deeper orange” to a “dusky orange to olivaceous yellow”)
Sebastes hubbsi (Matsubara 1937) in honor of ichthyologist Carl L. Hubbs (1894-1979), who pointed out that Matsubara’s original 1936 name for this species, Sebastichthys brevispinis, is preoccupied by S. proriger brevispinis Bean 1884
Sebastes longispinis (Matsubara 1934) longus, long; spinis, spine, referring to “very long” second anal-fin spine, “much longer than half the length of head”
Sebastes maliger (Jordan & Gilbert 1880) malus, mast; –iger, to bear, referring to long dorsal-fin spines separated by deeply incised membranes
Sebastes nebulosus Ayres 1854 cloudy, referring to dark-brown mottlings on yellow body
Sebastes nivosus Hilgendorf 1880 snowy, referring to characteristic white spots on body
Sebastes rastrelliger (Jordan & Gilbert 1880) rastrella, diminutive of rastrum, rake; –iger, to bear, referring to “very short” (italics in original) gill rakers
Sebastes trivittatus Hilgendorf 1880 tri-, three; vittatus, banded, proposed without a description, presumably referring to three longitudinal black stripes on adults in life
Subgenus Rosicola Jordan & Evermann 1896 roseus, red; –icola, to inhabit, “living in the zone of red algae” (per Jordan & Evermann 1898)
Sebastes babcocki (Thompson 1915) in honor of John Pease Babcock (1855-1936), first Commissioner of Fisheries for British Columbia (Canada), which published the description
Sebastes miniatus (Jordan & Gilbert 1880) bright red or scarlet, referring to “bright deep vermilion” upper body and “bright vermilion” fins
Sebastes pinniger (Gill 1864) pinnis, fin; –iger, to bear, presumably referring to longer pectoral and ventral fins compared with S. rosaceus, with which it had been confused
Subgenus Sebastichthys Gill 1862 proposed as a new genus for Sebastes nigrocinctus; ichthys, fish
Sebastes nigrocinctus Ayres 1859 nigro-, black; cinctus, band or girdle, referring to 5-6 nearly vertical, broad black bands on body
Subgenus Sebastocarus Jordan & Evermann 1927 proposed as a new genus for S. serriceps closely related to Sebastichthys; carus, head, distinguished by “strict and high ridges on the head”
Sebastes serriceps (Jordan & Gilbert 1880) serri-, serrate; ceps, head, referring to thick and heavy spines on head, “placed nearly in a straight line, so that the edge of the crown seems somewhat regularly serrated”
Subgenus Sebastodes Gill 1861 –oides, having the form of: proposed as a new genus for S. paucispinis, related to Sebastes but with a “very different facies”
Sebastes goodei (Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1890) in honor of ichthyologist George Brown Goode (1851-1896), Director, U. S. National Museum
Sebastes itinus (Jordan & Starks 1904) of the willow, referring to its common name in Japan, Yanagi-nomai, “maid of the willows”
Sebastes jordani (Gilbert 1896) in honor of ichthyologist David Starr Jordan (1851-1931), “the most successful worker in the genus Sebastodes”
Sebastes paucispinis Ayres 1854 paucus, few, scarce or insufficient; spinis, spine, referring to fewer and smaller spines on head compared to S. nebulosus (described in the same publication)
Sebastes steindachneri Hilgendorf 1880 patronym not identified but certainly in honor of Austrian ichthyologist Franz Steindachner (1834-1919)
Subgenus Sebastomus Gill 1864 omus, shoulder, allusion not explained, proposed as a new genus for S. rosaceus, perhaps referring to its five “rather stout and conspicuous” opercular spines (per Girard 1854) [not to be confused with Sebastosomus]
Sebastes capensis (Gmelin 1789) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, type locality
Sebastes chlorostictus (Jordan & Gilbert 1880) chloros, green; stiktos, spotted, referring to “clear olive-green” spots on top of head, back, and upper body
Sebastes constellatus (Jordan & Gilbert 1880) studded with stars, referring to “numerous stellate light spots” on head and body
Sebastes ensifer Chen 1971 sword-bearing, referring to “unusually long” second anal-fin spine
Sebastes eos (Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1890) sunrise, from Eos, goddess of morning-glow, presumably referring to “intense rose pink” of body and head
Sebastes exsul Chen 1971 exile, referring to its geographic isolation, known only from the Gulf of California in the vicinity of Bahia de los Angeles
Sebastes helvomaculatus Ayres 1859 helvus, yellow; maculatus, spotted, described as having three oblong pink (not yellow) spots on sides
Sebastes lentiginosus Chen 1971 freckled, referring to dense olive-green freckling on body
Sebastes notius Chen 1971 southern, referring to the “southern localities” (e.g., Guadalupe Island, Eastern Pacific) where it occurs
Sebastes oculatus Valenciennes 1833 eyed, allusion not explained nor evident; described from an illustration, perhaps referring to four rosy spots on brown of back at base of dorsal fin
Sebastes rosaceus Girard 1854 rosy, referring to its “uniformed reddish or crimson tint, lighter beneath”
Sebastes rosenblatti Chen 1971 in honor of Richard H. Rosenblatt (1930-2014), Scripps Institution of Oceanography, who first distinguished this species from S. eos and who discovered S. lentiginosus
Sebastes serranoides (Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1890) –oides, having the form of: in general shape and color, “greatly” resembling Serranus (now Paralabrax) clathratus (Serranoidei: Serranidae), “from which it is not distinguished by the fishermen”
Sebastes simulator Chen 1971 one who imitates, referring to similarity to S. helvomaculatus (previously considered the same species)
Sebastes spinorbis Chen 1975 spinis, spine; orbis, orbit, referring to spines along lower edge of orbit
Sebastes umbrosus (Jordan & Gilbert 1882) shady, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to any or all of the following: 2-3 “dark shades” from eye across cheek, a “dusky shade along maxillary,” pale-orange fins “more or less shaded with blackish”
Subgenus Sebastopyr Jordan & Evermann 1927 sebasto-, proposed as a new genus “allied” to Sebastomus; pyr, flame, allusion not explained, probably referring to red coloration of S. ruberrimus
Sebastes ruberrimus (Cramer 1895) very red, referring to “red, nearly plain” coloration (of adults; juveniles have two white lateral stripes)
Subgenus Sebastosomus Gill 1864 somus, body, allusion not explained, proposed as a new genus for S. melanops, probably referring to its Sebastes-like shape or appearance [not to be confused with Sebastomus]
Sebastes ciliatus (Tilesius 1813) ciliate (fringed with lashes, like an eyelid), per Orr & Blackburn (2004) referring to numerous accessory scales (similar to fringing eyelashes) found on posterior field of scales (and found on larger scales in most species of Sebastes)
Sebastes diaconus Frable, Wagman, Frierson, Aguilar & Sidlauskas 2015 acolyte or assistant to a priest, complementing name of S. mystinus, meaning “priest,” highlighting the similarity between the two species and the fact that they had previously been treated as one
Sebastes flavidus (Ayres 1862) yellowish, presumably referring to “yellowish green” on sides, from which it easily differs “as they lie in heaps upon the fish-stalls” from the “closely allied” blackish S. melanops (Pietsch & Orr, 2019, Fishes of the Salish Sea, say name refers to “bright yellow tail,” but Ayres did not describe the tail)
Sebastes melanops Girard 1856 melanos, black; ops, appearance, presumably referring to “blackish brown” upper body with brownish sides “spotted with black”
Sebastes mystinus (Jordan & Gilbert 1881) derived from mystes, Latin word for initiated one, or priest, allusion not explained, but Jordan (1884) provided a clue: “The Portuguese at Monterey [California] call it ‘Pesce Pretre,’ or Priest-fish, in allusion to its dark colors, so different from those of most of the other members of the family.”
Sebastes variabilis (Pallas 1814) variable, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its wide range of body colors
Subgenus Takenokius Matsubara 1943 etymology not explained, probably a latinization of Takenoko, from Takenoko-mebaru (mebaru = rockfish), common name for S. oblongus in Japan
Sebastes oblongus Günther 1877 oblong, the “height of the body is contained thrice and a half in the total length without caudal”
Subgenus Zalopyr Jordan & Evermann 1898 zalos, surging (as in a sea or storm), presumably referring to its occurrence in the rough waters off Alaska; pyr, fire, referring to uniform brick-red color of S. aleutianus
Sebastes aleutianus (Jordan & Evermann 1898) –anus, belonging to: Aleutian Islands between Alaska and Russia, where it is common among the eastern islands and Kodiak Island (type locality), once considered part of the Aleutians
Sebastes borealis Barsukov 1970 northern, allusion not explained, probably referring to its occurrence in the North Pacific, along the continental slope of the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Komandorski (Commander) Islands, extending continuously from Alaska to Russia
Sebastes matsubarae Hilgendorf 1880 in honor of Shin’nosuke Matsubara (1853-1916), Director of the Imperial Fisheries Institute, Tokyo, who served as an interpreter for lectures delivered by Hilgendorf in Japan; they also collaborated on an 1880 catalog of the fishes of Japan [although named after a man, some classically trained zoologists latinized the names of individuals whose names ended with the letter “a” by adding an “e” to the spelling]
Sebastes melanostictus (Matsubara 1934) melano-, black; stictus, spot, referring to body “specked with dark spots”
Subgenus Incertae sedis
Sebastes gilli (Eigenmann 1891) patronym not identified but almost certainly in honor of Smithsonian zoologist Theodore Gill (1837-1914), who proposed several genus-level taxa in the family
Sebastes koreanus Kim & Lee 1994 Korean, described from the Yellow Sea of South Korea
Sebastes moseri Eitner 1999 in honor of H. Geoffrey Moser, for his “extensive” contributions to marine-fish biology and his many years of service at the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service; “He is also a nice guy who loves rockfishes.”
Sebastes phillipsi (Fitch 1964) in honor of Julius B. Phillips (1905-?), California Division of Fish and Game, “a colleague and personal friend, whose intense and dedicated interest in the rockfish family in Californian waters resulted in a [1957] publication which, in addition to its high scientific value, permitted the average fishery biologist to identify with certainty more than the perhaps 8 or 10 of the half-hundred species that previously could have been so identified”
Sebastes polyspinis (Taranetz & Moiseev 1933) poly, many; spinis, spine, the only rockfish in the Eastern Pacific that normally has 14 dorsal-fin spines
Sebastes reedi (Westrheim & Tsuyuki 1967) in honor of the trawler G. B. Reed, from which type was collected, and which in turn was named after the late Guilford Bevil Reed (1887-1955), Queen’s University (Ontario, Canada), a medical researcher who became Chairman (1947-1953) of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada
Sebastiscus Jordan & Starks 1904 diminutive of Sebastes, proposed as a subgenus of that genus
Sebastiscus albofasciatus (Lacepède 1802) albo-, white; fasciatus, banded, described from an illustration showing a white band at base of caudal fin (pink and golden in life)
Sebastiscus marmoratus (Cuvier 1829) marbled, described from an illustration showing red back and sides marbled with brown or “near black” (translation); in life, coloration is variable from yellowish to brown or red with a blotched pattern
Sebastiscus tertius (Barsukov & Chen 1978) third, the third validly described and accepted species of the subgenus
Sebastiscus vibrantus Morishita, Kawai & Motomura 2018 brightness, referring to “flamboyant” body color (e.g., reddish-brown with yellow or brown blotches, five white blotches on dorsal trunk along dorsal-fin base, whitish or bluish blotches with black margins densely scattered on sides)
Subfamily SEBASTOLOBINAE Thornyheads
Adelosebastes Eschmeyer, Abe & Nakano 1979 adelos, Greek for unseen, allusion not explained, probably referring to its occurrence at the Emperor Seamount Chain, North Pacific, depth 900-1000 m, a “poorly explored area”; Sebastes, type genus of family
Adelosebastes latens Eschmeyer, Abe & Nakano 1979 Latin for hidden or secret, allusion not explained, probably referring to its occurrence at the Emperor Seamount Chain, North Pacific, depth 900-1000 m, a “poorly explored area”
Sebastolobus Gill 1881 Sebastes, original genus of type species, S. macrochir; lobus, lobe, referring to lower pectoral-fin rays broadened or prolonged into a linguiform (tongue-shaped) lobe
Sebastolobus alascanus Bean 1890 Alaskan, described off Trinity Island, Alaska (also occurs in Bering Sea and off Pacific coasts of Washington, Oregon and California)
Sebastolobus altivelis Gilbert 1896 altus, high; velum, sail, referring to long dorsal-fin spines, higher than those of S. macrochir
Sebastolobus macrochir (Günther 1877) macro-, long or large; cheiros, hand, referring to “extremely broad” pectoral fin, the 5-6 lower rays “elongated beyond the extremity of those next above them”
Trachyscorpia Ginsburg 1953 trachys, coarse or rough, presumably referring to “strongly” ctenoid scales of S. cristulata, from which it “differs markedly” from Scorpaena (original genus); scorpia, scorpion, but in this case probably alluding to Scorpaena
Subgenus Trachyscorpia
Trachyscorpia cristulata cristulata (Goode & Bean 1896) diminutive of cristata, tufted or crested, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to short filaments behind almost all spines of the head
Trachyscorpia cristulata echinata (Köhler 1896) prickly, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its ctenoid scales, “furnished at their free edge with a row of elongated spinules, behind which are two or three rows of much smaller spinules” (translation)
Trachyscorpia osheri McCosker 2008 in honor of businessman and philanthropist Bernard A. Osher (b. 1929), a “keen fisherman, amateur ichthyologist, and supporter of research and education” at the California Academy of Sciences, under whose auspices type was collected
Trachyscorpia verai Béarez & Motomura 2009 in honor of Johnny Vera, a fish dealer in Puerto López, Ecuador, who saved “weird fish” for the senior author (pers. comm.); Vera purchased holotype at a fish market in Puerto López
Subgenus Mesoscorpia Eschmeyer 1969 meso-, middle, referring to the apparent intermediate status of T. capensis (replaced by T. eschmeyeri) between species of the subfamily Sebastolobinae and the genus Trachyscorpia; scorpia, scorpion, but in this case probably alluding to Trachyscorpia
Trachyscorpia carnomagula Motomura, Last & Yearsley 2007 carnosus, fleshy; magulum, jaw or mouth, referring to fleshy lip on upper jaw (compared with poorly developed lip of T. eschmeyeri)
Trachyscorpia eschmeyeri Whitley 1970 in honor of ichthyologist William N. Eschmeyer (b. 1939), California Academy of Sciences, who proposed the subgenus in 1969 [replacement name for Scorpaena capensis Gilchrist & von Bonde 1924, preoccupied by S. capensis Gmelin 1789]
Trachyscorpia longipedicula Motomura, Last & Yearsley 2007 longus, long; pediculus, foot, referring to long pelvic-fin spine and rays, and first anal-fin spine (compared with shorter spines and rays of T. carnomagula and T. eschmeyeri)
Family SETARCHIDAE Deepsea Bristly Scorpionfishes
4 genera · 12 species
Ectreposebastes Garman 1899 ectrepos, reversed, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to greater body depth and longer, higher back arch under soft dorsal fin, the reverse of Sebastes (Sebastidae), particularly S. diploproa (which Garman cited for comparison purposes), in which greatest body depth occurs under spinous dorsal fin
Ectreposebastes imus Garman 1899 lowest or deepest, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to shorter and deeper body compared to Sebastes (Sebastidae)
Ectreposebastes niger (Fourmanoir 1971) black, referring to “deep black” (translation) coloration in life and in formalin
Lioscorpius Günther 1880 lio-, smooth, presumably referring to head of L. longiceps, “with scarcely any ridges or spines”; scorpius, scorpion, i.e., a scorpionfish
Lioscorpius brevirostris Wada & Motomura 2022 brevis, short; rostris, snout, referring to its relatively short snout compared with L. trifasciatus and L. vermiculatus
Lioscorpius longiceps Günther 1880 longus, long; ceps, head, presumably referring to length of head, ¼ of SL, and/or its “rather produced” snout
Lioscorpius trifasciatus Last, Yearsley & Motomura 2005 tri-, triple; fasciatus, banded, referring to three reddish diagonal bands on pectoral fin
Lioscorpius vermiculatus Wada & Motomura 2022 referring to vermiculated irregular blotches on dorsal body surface
Lythrichthys Jordan & Starks 1904 lythrum, gore, referring to red body color (in life) of L. eulabes; ichthys, fish
Lythrichthys cypho (Fowler 1938) hunchback, referring to back “well elevated anteriorly”
Lythrichthys dentatus Wada, Kai & Motomura 2021 toothed, referring to distinctively long and widely spaced teeth
Lythrichthys eulabes Jordan & Starks 1904 Greek for wary (e.g., cautious), allusion not explained nor evident
Lythrichthys grahami Wada, Kai & Motomura 2021 in honor of Alastair Graham (b. 1964), collection manager at CSIRO (Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation), where holotype is housed
Lythrichthys longimanus (Alcock 1894) longus, long; manus, hand, allusion not explained (name dates to an illustration), but since it was proposed as a “variety” (i.e., subspecies) of Lioscorpius longiceps, name may refer to what could be perceived as a longer pectoral fin
Setarches Johnson 1862 etymology not explained nor evident (seta– may be derived from saeta, bristle)
Setarches guentheri Johnson 1862 in honor of friend Albert Günther (1830-1914), British Museum (Natural History), the “well-known ichthyologist, to whom I am indebted for much valuable instruction”
Family NEOSEBASTIDAE Gurnard Scorpionfishes
2 genera · 18 species
Maxillicosta Whitley 1935 named for scaleless maxillary of M. scabriceps “traversed by four or five very prominent costae [ribs], instead of being scaly and without ridges” as in Neosebastes
Maxillicosta lopholepis Eschmeyer & Poss 1976 lophos, ridge; lepis, scale; referring to spinous ridge on scales above lateral line
Maxillicosta meridiana Motomura, Last & Gomon 2006 southern, referring to its distribution relative to that of M. whitleyi, with which it had been confused [originally spelled meridianus; since name is an adjective, spelling is emended to agree with feminine gender of genus]
Maxillicosta raoulensis Eschmeyer & Poss 1976 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Raoul Island, Kermadec Islands, southwestern Pacific, type locality
Maxillicosta reticulata (de Buen 1961) net-like, referring to brown body with dark reticulations on back and sides
Maxillicosta scabriceps Whitley 1935 scaber, rough; ceps, head, referring to “exceedingly spiny” head
Maxillicosta whitleyi Eschmeyer & Poss 1976 in honor of Australian ichthyologist-malacologist Gilbert Percy Whitley (1903-1975), who proposed the genus in 1935
Neosebastes Guichenot 1867 neo-, new, a new genus then believed to be closely related to (and perhaps a subgenus of) the rockfish genus Sebastes (Sebastidae)
Neosebastes bougainvillii (Cuvier 1829) in honor of French naval officer Hyacinthe Yves Philippe Potentien de Bougainville (1781-1846), who collected type
Neosebastes capricornis Motomura 2004 named for Tropic of Capricorn, near type locality (off southern New Caledonia); furthermore, “capricorn” means capra, goat, and cornis, horn, referring to this species’ single, sharp preopercular spine
Neosebastes entaxis Jordan & Starks 1904 en-, in; taxis, row or array, referring to series of strong spines in a line from edge of preorbital across suborbital stay and preopercle
Neosebastes incisipinnis Ogilby 1910 incisus, notched; pinnis, fin, referring to “feebly bifid” lower rays of pectoral fin
Neosebastes johnsoni Motomura 2004 in honor of Jeffrey W. Johnson, Brisbane Museum (Queensland, Australia), who first recognized this species as new and “kindly” made specimens available to Motomura
Neosebastes longirostris Motomura 2004 longus, long; rostris, snout, referring to long snout, 12-13% of SL
Neosebastes multisquamus Motomura 2004 multi-, many; squamus, scale, referring to 62 longitudinal scale rows, compared to 47-57 in most other members of the N. entaxis species complex
Neosebastes nigropunctatus McCulloch 1915 nigro-, black; punctatus, spotted, referring to numerous small, blackish dots at bases of scales scattered over upper sides and head
Neosebastes occidentalis Motomura 2004 western, the westernmost member of the genus
Neosebastes pandus (Richardson 1842) bent, crooked or curved, allusion not explained, possibly referring to how “occipital rise is margined laterally by a curved ridge, joining another waving one which flanks the base of the rise, and reaches the upper angle of the gill-opening”
Neosebastes scorpaenoides Guichenot 1867 –oides, having the form of: Scorpaena (Scorpaenidae), original genus of N. pandus, type species
Neosebastes thetidis (Waite 1899) –is, genitive singular of: Her Majesty’s Colonial Steamer Thetis (named after a sea-nymph in Greek mythology), from which type was trawled