Sternoptyx
Sternoptyx is an oceanic ray-finned fish genus which belongs in the family Sternoptychidae. This is the type genus of the Sternoptychidae, as well as the marine hatchetfish subfamily Sternoptychinae.
| Sternoptyx Temporal range: Early Oligocene to Present | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Diaphanous hatchetfish (S. diaphana) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Stomiiformes |
| Family: | Sternoptychidae |
| Subfamily: | Sternoptychinae |
| Genus: | Sternoptyx Hermann, 1781 |
Sternoptyx have silvery, high, and laterally compressed bodies and large, non-telescopic eyes.[1] They are all relatively small, with even the largest species (S. pseudobscura and S. pseudodiaphana) not exceeding 60 millimetres (2.4 in) standard length.[2]
Species
There are currently four recognized species in this genus:[2]
- Sternoptyx diaphana Hermann, 1781 (Diaphanous hatchetfish)
- Sternoptyx obscura Garman, 1899
- Sternoptyx pseudobscura R. C. Baird, 1971 (Highlight hatchetfish)
- Sternoptyx pseudodiaphana Borodulina, 1977 (False oblique hatchetfish)
Fossils of this genus show that they have existed at least since the Early Oligocene, about 30 million years ago.[3]
References
- Baird, R. C. (1971). "The systematics, distribution, and zoogeography of the marine hatchetfishes (family Sternoptychidae)". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 142: 1–128.
- Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). Species of Sternoptyx in FishBase. February 2012 version.
- Sepkoski, Jack (2002): [Sternoptyx]. In: A compendium of fossil marine animal genera. Bulletins of American Paleontology 364: 560. HTML database excerpt
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