''Argyripnus'' 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 hor ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

in the marine hatchetfish

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

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 not ...

. They are commonly known as bristle-mouth fishes, but that may also refer to the related

bristlemouth 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 ...

(Gonostomatidae). ''A. iridescens'' is called "

pearlside ''Maurolicus'' is an oceanic ray-finned fish genus which belongs in the marine hatchetfish family Sternoptychidae. They are commonly known as pearlsides, but the brilliant pearlside is the related ''Argyripnus iridescens''. Occasionally, "bris ...

", which usually refers to the closely related genus ''

Maurolicus ''Maurolicus'' is an oceanic ray-finned fish genus which belongs in the marine hatchetfish family Sternoptychidae. They are commonly known as pearlsides, but the brilliant pearlside is the related ''Argyripnus iridescens''. Occasionally, "bris ...

''.

Species

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

Argyripnus atlanticus ''Argyripnus atlanticus'' is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Argyripnus''. The fish is found worldwide in the tropical waters of the Eastern Atlantic, from Madeira to south of the Canary Islands. In the Western Atlantic, in the Baham ...

Maul A maul may refer to any number of large hammers, including: * War hammer, a medieval weapon * Post maul, a type of sledgehammer * Spike maul, railroad hand tool * Splitting maul, heavy wood-splitting tool resembling both axe and hammer People ...

, 1952 * ''

Argyripnus brocki ''Argyripnus brocki'', commonly known as Brock's bristle-mouth fish, is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Argyripnus'' found in the Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions ...

'' Struhsaker, 1973 (Brock's Bristle-mouth Fish) * ''

Argyripnus electronus ''Argyripnus electronus'' is a species of ray-finned fish in 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 th ...

'' Parin, 1992 * ''

Argyripnus ephippiatus ''Argyripnus ephippiatus'', commonly known as Gilbert & Cramer's bristle-mouth fish, is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Argyripnus'' found in the Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oc ...

'' C. H. Gilbert &

Cramer Cramer may refer to: Businesses * Cramer brothers, 18th century publishers * Cramer Systems, a software company * Cramer & Co., a former musical-related business in London Other uses * Cramer (surname), including a list of people and fictional ...

, 1897 (Gilbert & Cramer's Bristle-mouth Fish) * ''

Argyripnus hulleyi ''Argyripnus hulleyi'', commonly known as Reunion's bristle-mouth fish, is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Argyripnus ''Argyripnus'' is an oceanic ray-finned fish genus in the marine hatchetfish family Sternoptychidae. They are c ...

'' Quéro,

Spitz Spitz (derived from the German word ''spitz'' 'pointed') is a type of domestic dog characterized by long, thick, and often white fur, and pointed ears and muzzles. The tail often curls over the dog's back or droops. While all of the breeds rese ...

& Vayne, 2009 (Reunion bristle-mouth fish) * ''

Argyripnus iridescens ''Argyripnus iridescens'', also known as the pearlyside lightfish or brilliant pearlside, is a species of oceanic ray-finned fish in the genus '' Argyipnus''. It lives in deep-water environments across the Southwest Pacific The points of the c ...

McCulloch McCulloch is a Scottish surname. It's a variation of the Northern Irish surname McCullough. It's commonly found in Galloway. Notable people with the surname include: *Alan McCulloch (politician), New Zealand politician *Alan McLeod McCulloch ( ...

, 1926 (Brilliant Pearlside) * ''

Argyripnus pharos ''Argyripnus pharos'' is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Argyripnus''. It is found in the Indian Ocean and West Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arc ...

Harold Harold may refer to: People * Harold (given name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Harold (surname), surname in the English language * András Arató, known in meme culture as "Hide the Pain Harold" Arts a ...

& Lancaster, 2003

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 bristle-mouth fishes show that the genus was already distinct in the

Late Oligocene The Chattian is, in the geologic timescale, the younger of two ages or upper of two stages of the Oligocene Epoch/Series. It spans the time between . The Chattian is preceded by the Rupelian and is followed by the Aquitanian (the lowest stage ...

, more than 23

million years ago The abbreviation Myr, "million years", is a unit of a quantity of (i.e. ) years, or 31.556926 teraseconds. Usage Myr (million years) is in common use in fields such as Earth science and cosmology. Myr is also used with Mya (million years ago). ...

.Sepkoski (2002)

References

* (2002): 'Argyripnus'' ''In:'' A compendium of fossil marine animal genera. ''Bulletins of American Paleontology'' 364: 560
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Sternoptychidae Extant Chattian first appearances Marine fish genera Ray-finned fish genera Taxa named by Charles Henry Gilbert Chattian genus first appearances {{Stomiiformes-stub