The viviparous brotulas form a family, the Bythitidae, of ophidiiform fishes. They are known as viviparous brotulas as they generally bear live young, although there are indications that some species (at least '' Didymothallus criniceps'') do not.Nielsen; Schwarzhans; and Hadiaty (2009). A blind, new species of Diancistrus (Teleostei, Bythitidae) from three caves on Muna Island, southeast of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Cybium 33(3): 241–245. They are generally infrequently seen, somewhat tadpole-like in overall shape and mostly about in length, but some species grow far larger and may surpass . Although many live near the coast in tropical or

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

oceans, there are also species in deep water and cold oceans, for example '' Bythites''. '' Thermichthys hollisi'', which lives at depths of around , is associated with thermal vents. A few are fresh or brackish water

cavefish Cavefish or cave fish is a generic term for fresh and brackish water fish adapted to life in caves and other underground habitats. Related terms are subterranean fish, Troglomorphism, troglomorphic fish, troglobitic fish, stygobitic fish, phreat ...

: the Mexican blind brotula (''Typhliasina pearsei''), Galapagos cuskeel (''Ogilbia galapagosensis''), '' Diancistrus typhlops'' and some '' Lucifuga'' species. Since 2002, more than 110 new species have been added to this family. In 2005, 26 new species were described in a single paper by Danish and German scientists and in 2007, an additional eight new genera with 20 new species were described in another paper by the same scientists. In some classifications the family Aphyonidae is placed within the Bythitidae and the

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

Dinematichthyini of the subfamily Brosmophycinae has been raised to the status of a family, the Dinematichthyidae which contains 25 genera and 114 species. Abstract The Bythitidae is divided as follows: *Subfamily Brosmophycinae ** Tribe Dinematichthyini *** '' Alionematichthys'' *** '' Beaglichthys'' *** '' Brosmolus'' *** '' Brotulinella'' *** '' Dactylosurculus'' *** '' Dermatopsis'' *** '' Dermatopsoides'' *** '' Diancistrus'' *** '' Didymothallus'' *** '' Dinematichthys'' *** '' Dipulus'' *** '' Gunterichthys'' *** '' Lapitaichthys'' *** '' Majungaichthys'' *** '' Mascarenichthys'' *** '' Monothrix'' *** '' Nielsenichthys'' *** '' Ogilbia'' *** '' Ogilbichthys'' *** '' Paradiancistrus'' *** '' Porocephalichthys'' *** '' Typhliasina'' *** '' Ungusurculus'' *** '' Zephyrichthys'' ** Tribe Brosmophycini *** '' Bidenichthys'' *** '' Brosmodorsalis'' *** '' Brosmophyciops'' *** '' Brosmophycis'' *** '' Eusurculus'' *** '' Fiordichthys'' *** '' Lucifuga'' *** '' Melodichthys'' * Subfamily Bythitinae ** '' Acarobythites'' ** '' Anacanthobythites'' ** '' Bellottia'' ** '' Bythites'' ** '' Calamopteryx'' ** '' Cataetyx'' ** '' Diplacanthopoma'' ** '' Ematops'' ** '' Grammonus'' ** '' Hastatobythites'' ** '' Hephthocara'' ** '' Microbrotula'' ** '' Parasaccogaster'' ** '' Pseudogilbia'' ** '' Pseudonus'' ** '' Saccogaster'' ** '' Stygnobrotula'' ** '' Thalassobathia'' ** '' Thermichthys'' ** '' Timorichthys'' ** '' Tuamotuichthys''

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1335355 Bythitidae Viviparous fish