''Maurolicus'' is an

ocean The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to as ''oceans'' (the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Indian, Southern Ocean ...

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

which belongs in the marine hatchetfish

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

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 shoul ...

. 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 zone, mesopelagic marine fish, commonly named bristlemouths, lightfishes, or anglemouths. It is a relatively small family (biology), family, containing only eight known genus, genera and 32 species. ...

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 preserve ...

s of pearlsides are known from the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), 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 mea ...

Species

There are currently 15 recognized species in this genus: * '' Maurolicus amethystinopunctatus'' Cocco, 1838 * '' Maurolicus australis''

Hector In Greek mythology, Hector (; , ) was a Trojan prince, a hero and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. He is a major character in Homer's ''Iliad'', where he leads the Trojans and their allies in the defense of Troy, killing c ...

, 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 ''Maurolicus muelleri'', commonly referred to as Mueller's pearlside, Mueller's bristle-mouth fish (not to be confused with the Gonostomatidae), or the silvery lightfish (not to be confused with the Phosichthyidae), is a marine hatchetfish in the ...

'' ( 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'' Parin & Kobyliansky, 1996 * '' Maurolicus walvisensis'' Parin & Kobyliansky, 1993 * '' Maurolicus weitzmani'' 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)