''Maurolicus'' is an

ocean The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water. An ocean can also refer to any of the large bodies of water into which the wo ...

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

which belongs in the marine hatchetfish

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Sternoptychidae The marine hatchetfishes or deep-sea hatchetfishes as well as the related bottlelights, pearlsides and constellationfishes are small deep-sea ray-finned fish of the stomiiform family Sternoptychidae. They are not closely related to and should ...

. They are commonly known as pearlsides, but the brilliant pearlside is the related '' Argyripnus iridescens''. Occasionally, "bristle-mouth fishes" is used as a common name, but that usually refers to the genus ''

Argyripnus ''Argyripnus'' is an oceanic ray-finned fish genus in the marine hatchetfish family Sternoptychidae. They are commonly known as bristle-mouth fishes, but that may also refer to the related bristlemouth family (Gonostomatidae). ''A. iridescens ...

'' or the family

Gonostomatidae The Gonostomatidae are a family of mesopelagic marine fish, commonly named bristlemouths, lightfishes, or anglemouths. It is a relatively small family, containing only eight known genera and 32 species. However, bristlemouths make up for their l ...

Fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

s of pearlsides are known from the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recent" ...

Species

There are currently 15 recognized species in this genus: * ''

Maurolicus amethystinopunctatus ''Maurolicus amethystinopunctatus'' is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Maurolicus ''Maurolicus'' is an oceanic ray-finned fish genus which belongs in the marine hatchetfish family Sternoptychidae. They are commonly known as pea ...

'' Cocco, 1838 * '' Maurolicus australis''

Hector In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

, 1875 (pennant pearlside) * '' Maurolicus breviculus'' Parin & Kobyliansky, 1993 * '' Maurolicus imperatorius'' Parin & Kobyliansky, 1993 (Emperor seamount lightfish) * '' Maurolicus inventionis'' Parin & Kobyliansky, 1993 * '' Maurolicus japonicus'' Ishikawa, 1915 (North Pacific lightfish) * '' Maurolicus javanicus'' Parin & Kobyliansky, 1993 (Javan pearlside) * '' Maurolicus kornilovorum'' Parin & Kobyliansky, 1993 * '' Maurolicus mucronatus'' Klunzinger, 1871 * '' Maurolicus muelleri'' ( J. F. Gmelin, 1789) (Silvery lightfish, Mueller's pearlside, Mueller's bristle-mouth fish) * '' Maurolicus parvipinnis'' Vaillant, 1888 * '' Maurolicus rudjakovi'' Parin & Kobyliansky, 1993 * ''

Maurolicus stehmanni ''Maurolicus stehmanni'' is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus '' Maurolicus''. It is found in the Southwest Atlantic. References Fish described in 1993 Sternoptychidae {{Stomiiformes-stub ...

'' Parin & Kobyliansky, 1996 * ''

Maurolicus walvisensis ''Maurolicus walvisensis'' is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus '' Maurolicus''. It lives in the Southeast Atlantic and Western Indian Ocean Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York ...

'' Parin & Kobyliansky, 1993 * ''

Maurolicus weitzmani ''Maurolicus weitzmani'', commonly known as the Atlantic pearlside, is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Maurolicus ''Maurolicus'' is an oceanic ray-finned fish genus which belongs in the marine hatchetfish family Sternoptychidae. ...

'' Parin & Kobyliansky, 1993 (Atlantic pearlside, Weitzman's pearlside)

References

Sternoptychidae Extant Miocene first appearances Marine fish genera Ray-finned fish genera Taxa named by Anastasio Cocco {{Stomiiformes-stub zh:褶胸魚科#穆氏暗光魚屬(Maurolicus)