The cutlassfishes are about 45

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), 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 ...

of predatory fish in the family Trichiuridae of the order

Scombriformes Scombriformes is an order of bony fish containing nine families which were classified under the suborders Scombroidei and Stromateoidei, of the wider grouping known as Perciformes, ''Fishes of the World'', 5th ed. (2016), recognised the order ...

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 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 ...

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 FishBase is a global species database of fish species (specifically finfish). It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web.

: * Subfamily Aphanopidinae Gill, 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'' Parin, 1983 (Intermediate scabbardfish) *** '' Aphanopus microphthalmus'' Norman, 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'' Lo ...

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

Bean A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes thr ...

, 1882 *** '' Benthodesmus elongatus'',

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 Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner describ ...

, 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 The razorback scabbardfish, ''Assurger anzac'', is a rare species of cutlassfish, family Trichiuridae, and the only member of its genus. It has been caught from scattered locations worldwide: in the Atlantic Ocean it is known from off Puerto Ri ...

'' *** '' 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 fis ...

'' *** '' 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 ...

, 1831) (Smallhead hairtail) ** Genus ''

Evoxymetopon ''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'' Chakraborty Chakraborty ...

'' *** '' Evoxymetopon macrophthalmus'' Chakraborty, Yoshino & Iwatsuki, 2006 *** ''

Evoxymetopon moricheni ''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'' Chakraborty, Yoshino & I ...

'' 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'' Chakraborty Chakraborty ...

'' 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'' Chakraborty Chakraborty ...

'' Gill, 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 the ...

'' *** '' Lepidopus altifrons'', Parin & Collette, 1993 (Crested scabbardfish) *** '' Lepidopus calcar'', Parin & Mikhailin, 1982 (Hawaiian ridge scabbardfish) *** '' Lepidopus caudatus'', ( Euphrasen, 1788) (Silver scabbardfish) *** '' Lepidopus dubius'', Parin & Mikhailin, 1981 (Doubtful scabbardfish) *** '' Lepidopus fitchi '', Rosenblatt & Wilson, 1987 (Fitch's scabbardfish) *** '' Lepidopus manis'', 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, ) f ...

'' *** '' Lepturacanthus pantului'', (Gupta, 1966) (Coromandel hairtail) *** '' Lepturacanthus roelandti'' ( Bleeker, 1860) *** '' Lepturacanthus savala'', (

Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier was a major figure in nat ...

, 1829) (Savalani hairtail) ** Genus ''

Tentoriceps ''Tentoriceps'' is a monotypic genus of cutlassfish, family Trichiuridae, from the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The sole species is ''Tentoriceps cristatus''. Its common name is crested hairtail. Distribution ''Tentoriceps cristatus'' has Indo-W ...

'' *** ''

Tentoriceps cristatus ''Tentoriceps'' is a monotypic genus of cutlassfish, family Trichiuridae, from the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The sole species is ''Tentoriceps cristatus''. Its common name is crested hairtail. Distribution ''Tentoriceps cristatus'' has Indo-We ...

'', ( 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 & I ...

'' *** ''

Trichiurus auriga ''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 & Iw ...

'', Klunzinger, 1884 (Pearly hairtail) *** ''

Trichiurus australis ''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 & I ...

'' Chakraborty, Burhanuddin & Iwatsuki, 2005 *** ''

Trichiurus brevis ''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 & I ...

'', Wang & You, 1992 (Chinese short-tailed hairtail) *** ''

Trichiurus gangeticus ''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 & I ...

'', 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,

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the starting point of modern zoological ...

(Largehead hairtail) *** ''

Trichiurus margarites ''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 & I ...

'', Li, 1992 *** ''

Trichiurus nanhaiensis ''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 & I ...

'', Wang & Xu, 1992 *** ''

Trichiurus nickolensis ''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 & I ...

'', Burhanuddin & Iwatsuki, 2003 (Australian short-tailed hairtail) *** ''

Trichiurus russelli ''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 & I ...

'', 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 from: -55.8 till: -33.9 color:eocene text: Eocene from: -33.9 till: -23.03 color:oligocene text: Oligocene from: -23.03 till: -5.332 color:miocene text: Miocene 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 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: Paleocene from: -55.8 till: -33.9 color:eocene text: Eocene from: -33.9 till: -23.03 color:oligocene text: Oligocene from: -23.03 till: -5.332 color:miocene text: Miocene 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