polka-dot ribbonfish
Desmodema polystictum (Ogilby, 1898)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Desmodema polystictum, also called the deal fish, polka-dot ribbonfish, or spotted ribbonfish, is a fish in the family Trachipteridae. It is found near New Zealand, the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, and South Africa. The species became more known when James Douglas Ogilby wrote and published work on the species in 1898.
Wikipedia contributors, Desmodema polystictum; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:47:15.335251+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Desmodema polystictum (Ogilby, 1898)
- Name authority
- (Ogilby, 1898)
- Common name
- polka-dot ribbonfish
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Lampriformes
- Family
- Trachipteridae
- Genus
- Desmodema
- 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.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderLampriformes
- familyTrachipteridae Swainson, 1839
- genusDesmodema Walters & Fitch, 1960
- speciesDesmodema polystictum (Ogilby, 1898)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Desmodema. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| whiptail ribbonfishDesmodema lorum Rosenblatt & Butler, 1977 | TrachipteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Trachypterus misakiensis Tanaka, 1908 Tanaka, 1908 | synonym |
| Trachipterus polystictus (Ogilby, 1898) (Ogilby, 1898) | synonym |
| Trachipterus misakiensis Tanaka, 1908 Tanaka, 1908 | synonym |
| Trachipterus woodi Smith, 1953 Smith, 1953 | synonym |
| Trachypterus jacksoniensis polystictus Ogilby, 1898 Ogilby, 1898 | synonym |
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.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=158922 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:352YT. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.