Murray's abyssal anglerfish
Melanocetus murrayi Günther, 1887
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.
Melanocetus murrayi
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Open encyclopedia reference
Melanocetus murrayi, commonly known as Murray's abyssal anglerfish, is a deep sea anglerfish in the family Melanocetidae, found in tropical to temperate parts of the world's oceans at depths down to over 2,000 m (6,600 ft).
Wikipedia contributors, Melanocetus murrayi; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:00:00.985176+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Melanocetus murrayi Günther, 1887
- Name authority
- Günther, 1887
- Common name
- Murray's abyssal 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 murrayi Günther, 1887
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 |
| Humpback anglerfishMelanocetus johnsonii Günther, 1864 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Rhynchoceratias acanthirostris Parr, 1927 Parr, 1927 | synonym |
| Rhynchoceratias latirhinus Parr, 1927 Parr, 1927 | synonym |
| Rhynchoceratias longipinnis Parr, 1930 Parr, 1930 | synonym |
| Xenoceratias acanthirostris (Parr, 1927) (Parr, 1927) | synonym |
| Xenoceratias latirhinus (Parr, 1927) (Parr, 1927) | synonym |
| Xenoceratias longipinnis (Parr, 1930) (Parr, 1930) | synonym |
| Xenoceratias regani Koefoed, 1944 Koefoed, 1944 | synonym |
| Melanocetus vorax Brauer, 1902 Brauer, 1902 | synonym |
| Melanocetus tumidus Parr, 1927 Parr, 1927 | synonym |
| Rhynchoceratis latirhinus Parr, 1927 Parr, 1927 | 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. (1887). Report on the deep-sea fishes collected by H. M. S. Challenger during the years 1873-76. Report on the Scientific Results of the Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger during the Years 1873–76. Zoology, 22 (part 57): i–lxv, 1–268, pl. 1–73. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.15693 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.
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:3Z872. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.