Melanostomias niger Gilchrist & von Bonde, 1924
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
Melanostomias niger, the fangtooth dragonfish, is a species of fish from the Melanostomias genus that is native to the Eastern Indian Ocean, Southeast Atlantic and Southwest Pacific. It measures up to 26 cm (10 in) in length, and has between 17 and 20 anal soft rays and 15 to 17 anal spines.
Wikipedia contributors, Melanostomias niger; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:10:22.369559+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Melanostomias niger Gilchrist & von Bonde, 1924
- Name authority
- Gilchrist & von Bonde, 1924
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Stomiiformes
- Family
- Stomiidae
- Genus
- Melanostomias
- 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
- orderStomiiformes
- familyStomiidae Bleeker, 1859
- subfamilyMelanostomiinae Parr, 1927
- genusMelanostomias Brauer, 1902
- speciesMelanostomias niger Gilchrist & von Bonde, 1924
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Melanostomias. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| scaleless black dragonfishMelanostomias bartonbeani Parr, 1927 | StomiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostomias biseriatus Regan & Trewavas, 1930 | StomiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostomias macrophotus Regan & Trewavas, 1930 | StomiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Three-ray dragonfishMelanostomias pauciradius Matsubara, 1938 | StomiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostomias melanops Brauer, 1902 | StomiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostomias globulifer Fowler, 1934 | StomiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostomias margaritifer Regan & Trewavas, 1930 | StomiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostomias melanopogon Regan & Trewavas, 1930 | StomiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostomias nigroaxialis Parin & Pokhil'skaya, 1978 | StomiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostomias paucilaternatus Parin & Pokhil'skaya, 1978 | StomiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostomias pollicifer Parin & Pokhil'skaya, 1978 | StomiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostomias stewarti Fowler, 1934 | StomiidaeChordata | 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.
- Gilchrist, J. D. F., & von Bonde, C. (1924). Deep-sea fishes procured by the S.S. “Pickle” (Part II). Report Fisheries and Marine Biological Survey, Union of South Africa, 3 (7): 1–24, Pls. 1–6. 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:3ZBKF. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.