Halosaurus pectoralis McCulloch, 1926
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
The goanna fish (Halosaurus pectoralis), also known as Australian halosaur or common halosaur, is a halosaur species of deep-sea fish in the genus Halosaurus, found in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
Wikipedia contributors, Goanna fish; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T22:42:53.002391+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Halosaurus pectoralis McCulloch, 1926
- Name authority
- McCulloch, 1926
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Notacanthiformes
- Family
- Halosauridae
- Genus
- Halosaurus
- 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
- orderNotacanthiformes
- familyHalosauridae Günther, 1868
- genusHalosaurus Johnson, 1864
- speciesHalosaurus pectoralis McCulloch, 1926
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Halosaurus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Halosaurus carinicauda (Alcock, 1889) | HalosauridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Halosaurus radiatus Garman, 1899 | HalosauridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Halosaurus ridgwayi (Fowler, 1934) | HalosauridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Halosaurus attenuatus Garman, 1899 | HalosauridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Halosaurus guentheri Goode & Bean, 1896 | HalosauridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Halosaurus johnsonianus Vaillant, 1888 | HalosauridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Halosaurus ovenii Johnson, 1864 | HalosauridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
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.
- McCulloch, A. R. (1926). Report on some fishes obtained by the F. I. S. “Endeavour” on the coasts of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South and South-Western Australia. Part V. Biological Results Endeavour, 5 (4): 157–216, Pls. 43–56. 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:3JG3N. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.