The cutlassfishes are about 45

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of predatory fish in the family Trichiuridae of the order

Scombriformes Scombriformes is an Order (biology), order of bony fish containing nine Family (Biology), families which were classified under the suborders Scombroidei and Stromateoidei, of the wider grouping known as Perciformes, ''Fishes of the World'', 5th e ...

found in seas throughout the world. Fish of this family are long, slender, and generally steely blue or silver in colour, giving rise to their name. They have reduced or absent

pelvic The pelvis (plural pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis, or pelvic skeleton). The p ...

and

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...

s, giving them an

eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

-like appearance, and large fang-like teeth. Some of the species are known as scabbardfishes or hairtails; others are called frostfishes because they appear in late autumn and early winter, around the time of the first frosts.

Classification

This list of species follows FishBase: * Subfamily Aphanopidinae

Gill A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...

, 1863 ** Genus '' Aphanopus'' *** '' Aphanopus arigato'' Parin, 1994 *** '' Aphanopus beckeri'' Parin, 1994 *** '' Aphanopus capricornis'' Parin, 1994 *** ''

Aphanopus carbo The black scabbardfish (''Aphanopus carbo'') is a bathypelagic cutlassfish of the family Trichiuridae found in the Atlantic Ocean between latitudes 69°N and 27°N at depths between . Its length is up to , but it reaches maturity around . De ...

'' Lowe, 1839 (Black scabbardfish) *** ''

Aphanopus intermedius ''Aphanopus'', the black scabbardfishes, is a genus of Cutlassfish which contains the following species: * '' Aphanopus arigato'' Parin, 1994 * '' Aphanopus beckeri'' Parin, 1994 * '' Aphanopus capricornis'' Parin, 1994 * ''Aphanopus carbo'' Lo ...

'' Parin, 1983 (Intermediate scabbardfish) *** ''

Aphanopus microphthalmus ''Aphanopus'', the black scabbardfishes, is a genus of Cutlassfish which contains the following species: * '' Aphanopus arigato'' Parin, 1994 * '' Aphanopus beckeri'' Parin, 1994 * '' Aphanopus capricornis'' Parin, 1994 * ''Aphanopus carbo'' Lo ...

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

, 1939 (Smalleye scabbardfish) *** ''

Aphanopus mikhailini ''Aphanopus'', the black scabbardfishes, is a genus of Cutlassfish which contains the following species: * ''Aphanopus arigato'' Parin, 1994 * ''Aphanopus beckeri'' Parin, 1994 * ''Aphanopus capricornis'' Parin, 1994 * ''Aphanopus carbo'' Lowe, ...

'' Parin, 1983 (Mikhailin's scabbardfish) ** Genus '' Benthodesmus'' Goode & Bean, 1882 *** ''

Benthodesmus elongatus ''Benthodesmus'' is a genus of fish in the family Trichiuridae. There are at least eleven species in this genus, which are known as frostfish. These are not to be confused with ''Microgadus tomcod'' and ''Lepidopus caudatus'' also known as fros ...

'',

Clarke Clarke is a surname which means "clerk". The surname is of English and Irish origin and comes from the Latin . Variants include Clerk and Clark. Clarke is also uncommonly chosen as a given name. Irish surname origin Clarke is a popular surname i ...

, 1879 (Elongate frostfish) *** '' Benthodesmus macrophthalmus'', Parin & Becker, 1970 (Bigeye frostfish) *** '' Benthodesmus neglectus'', Parin, 1976 (Neglected frostfish) *** '' Benthodesmus oligoradiatus'', Parin & Becker, 1970 (Sparse-rayed frostfish) *** '' Benthodesmus pacificus'', Parin & Becker, 1970 (North Pacific frostfish) *** '' Benthodesmus papua'', Parin, 1978 (Papuan frostfish) *** '' Benthodesmus simonyi'', Steindachner, 1891 (Simony's frostfish) *** '' Benthodesmus suluensis'', Parin, 1976 (Philippine frostfish) *** '' Benthodesmus tenuis'', Günther, 1877 (Slender frostfish) *** '' Benthodesmus tuckeri'', Parin & Becker, 1970 (Tucker's frostfish) *** '' Benthodesmus vityazi'', Parin & Becker, 1970 (Vityaz' frostfish) * Subfamily Lepidopodinae, Gill, 1863 ** Genus '' Assurger'' *** '' Assurger anzac''

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

, 1917 (Razorback scabbardfish) ** Genus ''

Eupleurogrammus ''Eupleurogrammus'' is a genus of cutlassfish from the Indo-Pacific region. They are benthopelagic fishes which occur mainly over the continental shelf where they move upwards in the water column towards the surface at night and feed on small f ...

'' *** '' Eupleurogrammus glossodon'', ( Bleeker, 1860) (Longtooth hairtail) *** '' Eupleurogrammus muticus'', (

Gray Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

, 1831) (Smallhead hairtail) ** Genus '' Evoxymetopon'' *** '' Evoxymetopon macrophthalmus'' Chakraborty, Yoshino & Iwatsuki, 2006 *** '' Evoxymetopon moricheni'' Fricke, Golani & Appelbaum-Golani, 2014 *** ''

Evoxymetopon poeyi ''Evoxymetopon'' is a genus of cutlassfish found in all oceans. It is one of nine genera in the family Trichiuridae. Species There are currently four recognized species in this genus: * ''Evoxymetopon macrophthalmus'' Anirban Chakraborty, Chakra ...

'' Günther, 1887 (Poey's scabbardfish) *** ''

Evoxymetopon taeniatus ''Evoxymetopon'' is a genus of cutlassfish found in all oceans. It is one of nine genera in the family Trichiuridae. Species There are currently four recognized species in this genus: * ''Evoxymetopon macrophthalmus'' Anirban Chakraborty, Chakra ...

, 1863 (Channel scabbardfish) ** Genus ''

Lepidopus ''Lepidopus'' is a genus of fishes belonging to the family Trichiuridae. Fossil record These fishes lived from the Oligocene to Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in th ...

'' *** ''

Lepidopus altifrons ''Lepidopus'' is a genus of fishes belonging to the family Trichiuridae. Fossil record These fishes lived from the Oligocene to Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in th ...

'', Parin & Collette, 1993 (Crested scabbardfish) *** ''

Lepidopus calcar ''Lepidopus'' is a genus of fishes belonging to the family Trichiuridae. Fossil record These fishes lived from the Oligocene to Quaternary (from 33.9 to 1.806 million years ago). Fossils have been found in Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Azerbaijan, t ...

'', Parin & Mikhailin, 1982 (Hawaiian ridge scabbardfish) *** ''

Lepidopus caudatus The silver scabbardfish (''Lepidopus caudatus''), also known as the frostfish or beltfish is a benthopelagic cutlassfish of the family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or ...

'', ( Euphrasen, 1788) (Silver scabbardfish) *** ''

Lepidopus dubius ''Lepidopus'' is a genus of fishes belonging to the family Trichiuridae. Fossil record These fishes lived from the Oligocene to Quaternary (from 33.9 to 1.806 million years ago). Fossils have been found in Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Azerbaijan, t ...

'', Parin & Mikhailin, 1981 (Doubtful scabbardfish) *** ''

Lepidopus fitchi ''Lepidopus'' is a genus of fishes belonging to the family Trichiuridae. Fossil record These fishes lived from the Oligocene to Quaternary (from 33.9 to 1.806 million years ago). Fossils have been found in Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Azerbaijan, t ...

'', Rosenblatt & Wilson, 1987 (Fitch's scabbardfish) *** ''

Lepidopus manis ''Lepidopus'' is a genus of fishes belonging to the family Trichiuridae. Fossil record These fishes lived from the Oligocene to Quaternary (from 33.9 to 1.806 million years ago). Fossils have been found in Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Azerbaijan, t ...

'', Rosenblatt & Wilson, 1987 (Ghost scabbardfish) *Subfamily Trichiurinae Rafinesque, 1810 ** Genus ''

Demissolinea The New Guinea hairtail (''Demissolinea novaeguineensis'') is a species of cutlassfish which is classified in the monotypic genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organ ...

'' *** '' Demissolinea novaeguineensis'', Burhanuddin & Iwatsuki, 2003 (New Guinean hairtail) ** Genus ''

Lepturacanthus Lepturacanthus is a genus of cutlassfish from the Indo-Pacific region. They are benthopelagic species of waters over the continental shelf, it is a predator of a variety of small coastal fishes, squid and crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) ...

'' *** '' Lepturacanthus pantului'', (Gupta, 1966) (Coromandel hairtail) *** '' Lepturacanthus roelandti'' ( Bleeker, 1860) *** '' Lepturacanthus savala'', ( Cuvier, 1829) (Savalani hairtail) ** Genus '' Tentoriceps'' *** '' Tentoriceps cristatus'', ( Klunzinger, 1884) (Crested hairtail) ** Genus ''

Trichiurus ''Trichiurus'' is a genus of cutlassfishes belonging to the family Trichiuridae. Species Species within this genus include: * ''Trichiurus auriga'', Klunzinger, 1884 (Pearly hairtail) * ''Trichiurus australis'' Chakraborty, Burhanuddin & Iwa ...

'' *** '' Trichiurus auriga'', Klunzinger, 1884 (Pearly hairtail) *** '' Trichiurus australis'' Chakraborty, Burhanuddin & Iwatsuki, 2005 *** '' Trichiurus brevis'', Wang & You, 1992 (Chinese short-tailed hairtail) *** '' Trichiurus gangeticus'', Gupta, 1966 (Ganges hairtail) *** ''

Trichiurus lepturus The largehead hairtail (''Trichiurus lepturus'') or beltfish is a member of the cutlassfish family, Trichiuridae. This common to abundant species is found in tropical and temperate oceans throughout the world. The taxonomy is not fully resolved, ...

'',

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

, 1758 (Largehead hairtail) *** '' Trichiurus margarites'', Li, 1992 *** '' Trichiurus nanhaiensis'', Wang & Xu, 1992 *** '' Trichiurus nickolensis'', Burhanuddin & Iwatsuki, 2003 (Australian short-tailed hairtail) *** '' Trichiurus russelli'', Dutt & Thankam, 1966 (Short-tailed hairtail)

Timeline of genera

ImageSize = width:1000px height:auto barincrement:15px PlotArea = left:10px bottom:50px top:10px right:10px Period = from:-65.5 till:10 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:-65.5 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:-65.5 TimeAxis = orientation:hor AlignBars = justify Colors = #legends id:CAR value:claret id:ANK value:rgb(0.4,0.3,0.196) id:HER value:teal id:HAD value:green id:OMN value:blue id:black value:black id:white value:white id:cenozoic value:rgb(0.54,0.54,0.258) id:paleogene value:rgb(0.99,0.6,0.32) id:paleocene value:rgb(0.99,0.65,0.37) id:eocene value:rgb(0.99,0.71,0.42) id:oligocene value:rgb(0.99,0.75,0.48) id:neogene value:rgb(0.999999,0.9,0.1) id:miocene value:rgb(0.999999,0.999999,0) id:pliocene value:rgb(0.97,0.98,0.68) id:quaternary value:rgb(0.98,0.98,0.5) id:pleistocene value:rgb(0.999999,0.95,0.68) id:holocene value:rgb(0.999,0.95,0.88) BarData= bar:eratop bar:space bar:periodtop bar:space bar:NAM1 bar:NAM2 bar:space bar:period bar:space bar:era PlotData= align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25 shift:(7,-4) bar:periodtop from: -65.5 till: -55.8 color:paleocene text:

Paleocene The Paleocene, ( ) or Palaeocene, is a geological epoch that lasted from about 66 to 56 million years ago (mya). It is the first epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name is a combination of the Ancient Greek ''pal ...

from: -55.8 till: -33.9 color:eocene text:

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...

from: -33.9 till: -23.03 color:oligocene text: Oligocene from: -23.03 till: -5.332 color:miocene text:

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 ...

from: -5.332 till: -2.588 color:pliocene text: Plio. from: -2.588 till: -0.0117 color:pleistocene text:

Pleist. The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in ...

from: -0.0117 till: 0 color:holocene text: H. bar:eratop from: -65.5 till: -23.03 color:paleogene text: Paleogene from: -23.03 till: -2.588 color:neogene text: Neogene from: -2.588 till: 0 color:quaternary text: Q. PlotData= align:left fontsize:M mark:(line,white) width:5 anchor:till align:left color:paleocene bar:NAM1 from: -65.5 till: -28.4 text:

Eutrichiurides ''Eutrichiurides'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric cutlass fish. Similar and related genera include the extant ''Aphanopus'', '' Trichiurides'' and '' Trichiurus''. These fishes lived in the Eocene period, from 55.8 to 48.6 mya. Species Spe ...

color:eocene bar:NAM2 from: -48.6 till: 0 text:

PlotData= align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25 bar:period from: -65.5 till: -55.8 color:paleocene text:

from: -55.8 till: -33.9 color:eocene text:

from: -33.9 till: -23.03 color:oligocene text: Oligocene from: -23.03 till: -5.332 color:miocene text:

from: -5.332 till: -2.588 color:pliocene text: Plio. from: -2.588 till: -0.0117 color:pleistocene text:

from: -0.0117 till: 0 color:holocene text: H. bar:era from: -65.5 till: -23.03 color:paleogene text: Paleogene from: -23.03 till: -2.588 color:neogene text: Neogene from: -2.588 till: 0 color:quaternary text: Q.

References

External links

Listing of Trichiuridae in English and Japanese 2003-10-27
{{Taxonbar, from=Q480817 Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque