Johnson's scabbardfish
Nesiarchus nasutus Johnson, 1862
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
Nesiarchus nasutus, the black gemfish or violet snake mackerel, is a species of snake mackerel found in tropical and subtropical waters in most parts of the world, though not in east Pacific and north Indian waters. It occurs at depths of from 200 to 1,200 metres (660 to 3,940 ft) though they make diel vertical migrations from benthopelagic to mesopelagic depths at night. This species can reach a length of 130 centimetres (51 in) SL though most do not exceed 80 centimetres (31 in) SL. It is of minor importance to local commercial fisheries. This species is currently the only known member of its genus, Nesiarchus.
Wikipedia contributors, Nesiarchus nasutus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:56:21.137271+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Nesiarchus nasutus Johnson, 1862
- Name authority
- Johnson, 1862
- Common name
- Johnson's scabbardfish
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Scombriformes
- Family
- Gempylidae
- Genus
- Nesiarchus
- 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
- orderScombriformes
- familyGempylidae Gill, 1862
- genusNesiarchus Johnson, 1862
- speciesNesiarchus nasutus Johnson, 1862
Close classified relatives
No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Prometheus paradoxus de Brito Capello, 1867 de Brito Capello, 1867 | synonym |
| Thyrsitops violaceus Bean, 1887 Bean, 1887 | synonym |
| Bipinnula violacea (Bean, 1887) (Bean, 1887) | synonym |
| Escolar violaceus (Bean, 1887) (Bean, 1887) | 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.
- Johnson, J. Y. (1862). Descriptions of some new genera and species of fishes obtained at Madeira. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1862, (pt 2) (art. 2) : 167–180, Pls. 22–23. 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:4772P. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.