Other identification tools | FishBase

Fish Identification: Find Species


Family: Sternoptychidae Marine hatchetfishes



(See list of species below)



Select Class:     Select Order:   
Select Family: Subfamily:     Select Genus:

Select Ocean (marine/brackish) or Continent (freshwater):
Select a country:
Only include species occuring above: m

Total number of spines in dorsal and anal fins (optional).      Enter total length (TL) and maximum body depth (BD)

Show family drawing(s)



78 species
(see list below)
Export file

1 of 1 Jump to:

Sort by: Species Length Year
1 of 1 Jump to:
Export file
n = 78

Scientific Name English Name Distribution Max. Length (cm) Year
Araiophos eastropas Western Central Pacific. 1969
Araiophos gracilis Eastern Central Pacific 3.4 SL 1961
Argyripnus atlanticus Eastern Atlantic 7.7 SL 1952
Argyripnus boreopacificus Northwest Pacific 2017
Argyripnus brocki Brock's bristle-mouth fish Eastern Central Pacific 8.9 SL 1973
Argyripnus electronus Southeast Pacific 1992
Argyripnus ephippiatus Gilbert & Cramer's bristle-mouth fish Pacific Ocean. 8.9 SL 1897
Argyripnus hulleyi Reunion's bristle-mouth fish Western Indian Ocean 7.3 SL 2009
Argyripnus iridescens Brilliant pearlside Southwest Pacific. 14 TL 1926
Argyripnus pharos Indo-West Pacific. off A 7.9 SL 2003
Argyropelecus aculeatus Lovely hatchetfish Eastern Atlantic 8.3 SL 1850
Argyropelecus affinis Pacific hatchet fish Eastern Atlantic 8.4 SL 1899
Argyropelecus gigas Hatchetfish Eastern Atlantic 12 SL 1930
Argyropelecus hemigymnus Half-naked hatchetfish Eastern Atlantic 5.1 TL 1829
Argyropelecus lychnus Tropical hatchetfish Western Pacific 7 TL 1899
Argyropelecus olfersii Eastern Atlantic 9 TL 1829
Argyropelecus sladeni Sladen's hatchet fish Atlantic, Indian and Paci 8.3 TL 1908
Danaphos asteroscopus Indian Ocean. 1931
Danaphos oculatus Bottlelights Indo-Pacific. Northeast 5.7 TL 1899
Maurolicus amethystinopunctatus Northeast Atlantic 1838
Maurolicus australis Pennant pearlside Southwest Pacific 5 SL 1875
Maurolicus breviculus Southeast Pacific 3.4 SL 1993
Maurolicus imperatorius Emperor seamount lightfish North Pacific 6.8 SL 1993
Maurolicus inventionis Southeast Atlantic 6.3 SL 1993
Maurolicus japonicus North Pacific lightfish Northwest Pacific 5 SL 1915
Maurolicus javanicus Javan pearlside Eastern Indian Ocean 4.4 SL 1993
Maurolicus kornilovorum Western Indian Ocean 3.2 SL 1993
Maurolicus mucronatus Western Indian Ocean 3.4 SL 1871
Maurolicus muelleri Silvery lightfish Sub-Arctic, and sub-Antar 8 TL 1789
Maurolicus parvipinnis Southeast Pacific 5.4 SL 1888
Maurolicus rudjakovi Southeast Pacific 5.9 SL 1993
Maurolicus stehmanni Southwest Atlantic 5.2 SL 1993
Maurolicus walvisensis Southeast Atlantic 4.7 SL 1993
Maurolicus weitzmani Atlantic pearlside Western Atlantic 5.2 SL 1993
Polyipnus aquavitus Aquavit hatchetfish Western Pacific 3.5 SL 1971
Polyipnus asper Eastern Indian Ocean 6.2 SL 1994
Polyipnus asteroides Western Central Atlantic 8.1 SL 1938
Polyipnus bruuni Western Indian Ocean 2.0 SL 1994
Polyipnus clarus Slope hatchetfish Western Atlantic 6 SL 1994
Polyipnus danae Western Pacific 2.8 SL 1990
Polyipnus elongatus Southwest Pacific 7 SL 1979
Polyipnus fraseri Western Pacific 4.0 SL 1934
Polyipnus indicus Western Indian Ocean 6 SL 1961
Polyipnus inermis Southeast Pacific 6.4 SL 1981
Polyipnus kiwiensis Kiwi hatchetfish Southwest Pacific 8.2 SL 1971
Polyipnus laruei Bigeye hatchetfish Western Pacific 4.6 SL 2017
Polyipnus laternatus Western Atlantic 4.4 SL 1899
Polyipnus latirastrus Combside hatchetfish Western Pacific 8.8 SL 1994
Polyipnus limatulus Western Indian Ocean 1998
Polyipnus matsubarai Northwest Pacific 9.7 SL 1961
Polyipnus meteori Indo-Pacific 5.5 SL 1967
Polyipnus notatus Western Pacific 3.1 SL 2016
Polyipnus nuttingi Nutting's hatchet fish Western Indian Ocean 8.3 SL 1905
Polyipnus oluolus Western Pacific 2.7 SL 1971
Polyipnus omphus Western Indian Ocean. We 5.6 SL 1971
Polyipnus ovatus Western Central Pacific 4.7 SL 1994
Polyipnus parini Western Pacific. 6.1 SL 1979
Polyipnus paxtoni Paxton's hatchetfish Western Central Pacific 4.9 SL 1989
Polyipnus polli Round hatchetfish Eastern Atlantic 5 SL 1961
Polyipnus ruggeri Rugby hatchetfish Indo-West Pacific. 6.6 SL 1971
Polyipnus soelae Soela hatchetfish Indo-West Pacific 6.0 SL 1994
Polyipnus spinifer Western Pacific 6 SL 1979
Polyipnus spinosus Spiny hatchetfish Western Cental Pacific 8.5 SL 1887
Polyipnus stereope Northwest Pacific 5.3 SL 1904
Polyipnus surugaensis Northwest Pacific 3.7 SL 1990
Polyipnus tridentifer Three-spined hatchetfish Eastern Indian Ocean 7.2 SL 1914
Polyipnus triphanos Threelight hatchetfish Indo-Pacific 4.7 SL 1938
Polyipnus unispinus Western Pacific 3.5 SL 1938
Sonoda megalophthalma Western Atlantic 6 SL 1959
Sonoda paucilampa Western Central Atlantic 1960
Sternoptyx diaphana Diaphanous hatchet fish Atlantic, Indian and Paci 5.5 SL 1781
Sternoptyx obscura Indo-Pacific 4.5 SL 1899
Sternoptyx pseudobscura Highlight hatchetfish Widely distributed in the 6 SL 1971
Sternoptyx pseudodiaphana False oblique hatchetfish Circumglobal in subtropic 6 SL 1977
Thorophos euryops Western Central Pacific 5.5 SL 1931
Thorophos nexilis Western Central Pacific 6 SL 1932
Valenciennellus carlsbergi Western Central Pacific 2.1 SL 1931
Valenciennellus tripunctulatus Constellationfish Worldwide in tropical to 3.1 SL 1871



Other identification tools in FishBase


Quick Identification
Identification keys
Identification by morphometrics
Identification by pictures:
          If you already know the Family, go to Search FishBase, select Family and click on 'Identification by pictures' to display all available pictures in FishBase for the family.

          If you already know the Country, go to
Search FishBase, select Country and click on 'Identification by pictures' to display all available pictures in FishBase for the country.

          If you already know the Ecosystem, go to
Search FishBase, select Ecosystem and click on 'Identification by pictures' to display all available pictures in FishBase for the ecosystem.
cfm script by eagbayani, 30.11.04, ,  php script by cmilitante, 05/11/2010 ,  last modified by cmilitante, 14/03/2013