Humpback anglerfish
Melanocetus johnsonii Günther, 1864
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 humpback anglerfish (Melanocetus johnsonii) is a species of black seadevil in the family of Melanocetidae, which means "black sea monster". The species is named after James Yate Johnson, an English naturalist who discovered the first specimen in Madeira in 1863. The common names include anglerfish, viperfish, and fangtoothfish.
Wikipedia contributors, Humpback anglerfish; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:41:04.804466+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Melanocetus johnsonii Günther, 1864
- Name authority
- Günther, 1864
- Common name
- Humpback anglerfish
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Lophiiformes
- Family
- Melanocetidae
- Genus
- Melanocetus
- 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
- orderLophiiformes
- suborderCeratioidei
- familyMelanocetidae Gill, 1878
- genusMelanocetus Günther, 1864
- speciesMelanocetus johnsonii Günther, 1864
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Melanocetus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Melanocetus eustalus Pietsch & Van Duzer, 1980 | MelanocetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanocetus niger Regan, 1925 | MelanocetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanocetus rossi Balushkin & Fedorov, 1981 | MelanocetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Murray's abyssal anglerfishMelanocetus murrayi Günther, 1887 | MelanocetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanocetus polyactis Regan, 1925 | MelanocetidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Melanocetus cirrifer Regan & Trewavas, 1932 Regan & Trewavas, 1932 | synonym |
| Melanocetus megalodontis Beebe & Crane, 1947 Beebe & Crane, 1947 | synonym |
| Melanocetus rotundatus Gilchrist, 1903 Gilchrist, 1903 | synonym |
| Melanocoetus rotundatus Gilchrist, 1903 Gilchrist, 1903 | synonym |
| Xenoceratias braueri Koefoed, 1944 Koefoed, 1944 | synonym |
| Xenoceratias brevirostris Regan & Trewavas, 1932 Regan & Trewavas, 1932 | synonym |
| Melanocetus johnsoni Günther, 1864 Günther, 1864 | synonym |
| Melanocetus krechi Brauer, 1902 Brauer, 1902 | synonym |
| Xenoceratias heterorhynchus Regan & Trewavas, 1932 Regan & Trewavas, 1932 | synonym |
| Xenoceratias laevis Regan & Trewavas, 1932 Regan & Trewavas, 1932 | synonym |
| Xenoceratias micracanthus Regan & Trewavas, 1932 Regan & Trewavas, 1932 | synonym |
| Melanocetus ferox Regan, 1926 Regan, 1926 | synonym |
| Centrocetus spinulosus Regan & Trewavas, 1932 Regan & Trewavas, 1932 | 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.
- Günther, A. (1864). On a new genus of pediculate fish from the Sea of Madeira. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1864, (pt 2) (art. 6): 301–303, Pl. 25. Also as a separate, pp. 1–2. 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:3Z86X. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.