Barred snailfish

Open encyclopedia reference

Crystallias is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Liparidae. It only species, Crystallias matsushimae, the barred snailfish, is found in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, from the Sea of Japan and the Pacific coast of Honshu to the Bering Sea. It is found at depths of from 30 to 700 metres (98 to 2,297 ft). This species can grows up to a length of 38 centimetres (15 in) TL. As for other snailfishes, Crystallias matsushimae inhabits the benthic zone, and attaches itself to rocks with fused, suction-cup-like pelvic fins while resting. At rest, this species typically curls the tail forwards. Male individuals possess a pointed snout, whereas females have a rounded snout. In the Russian zone of the Sea of Japan, the preferred depth range of Crystallias matsushimae has been recorded to vary by season, living at depths of 201-300 metres in summer and autumn, and moving to depths of 401-500 metres in winter. In the same region, it is recorded being caught in areas with bottom water temperature between -0.5°C and 2.5°C.

Wikipedia contributors, Crystallias; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:59:26.978023+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Crystallias matsushimae Jordan & Snyder, 1902

Name authority

Jordan & Snyder, 1902

Common name

Barred snailfish

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Teleostei

Order

Perciformes

Family

Liparidae

Genus

Crystallias

Extinction status

Not supplied by this source

Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. gigaclassActinopterygii
8. superclassActinopteri
9. classTeleostei
10. orderPerciformes
11. suborderCottoidei
12. familyLiparidae Gill, 1861
13. genusCrystallias Jordan & Snyder, 1902
14. speciesCrystallias matsushimae Jordan & Snyder, 1902

Close classified relatives

No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.

Browse 339 records assigned to Liparidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. Jordan, D. S.; Snyder J. O. (1902). A review of the discobolous fishes of Japan. Proceedings of the United States National Museum, v. 24 (no. 1259): 343–351. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00963801.24-1259.343 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:323XK. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.