polka-dot batfish
Ogcocephalus cubifrons (Richardson, 1836)
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
Ogcocephalus cubifrons, the spotted batfish or polka-dot batfish, is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ogcocephalidae, the deep sea batfishes. This is an uncommon demersal fish found in the Western Atlantic Ocean and the southern Gulf of Mexico, in the United States, Mexico and the Bahamas.
Wikipedia contributors, Ogcocephalus cubifrons; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:44:51.550190+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Ogcocephalus cubifrons (Richardson, 1836)
- Name authority
- (Richardson, 1836)
- Common name
- polka-dot batfish
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Lophiiformes
- Family
- Ogcocephalidae
- Genus
- Ogcocephalus
- 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
- suborderOgcocephaloidei
- familyOgcocephalidae Gill, 1893
- genusOgcocephalus Fischer, 1813
- speciesOgcocephalus cubifrons (Richardson, 1836)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Ogcocephalus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| longnose batfishOgcocephalus corniger Bradbury, 1980 | OgcocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| shortnose batfishOgcocephalus nasutus (Cuvier, 1829) | OgcocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ogcocephalus notatus (Valenciennes, 1837) | OgcocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| spotted batfishOgcocephalus pantostictus Bradbury, 1980 | OgcocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ogcocephalus pumilus Bradbury, 1980 | OgcocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ogcocephalus darwini Hubbs, 1958 | OgcocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ogcocephalus porrectus Garman, 1899 | OgcocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ogcocephalus radiatus (Mitchill, 1818) | OgcocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| palefin batfishOgcocephalus rostellum Bradbury, 1980 | OgcocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| longnose batfishOgcocephalus vespertilio (Linnaeus, 1758) | OgcocephalidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Lophius cubifrons Richardson, 1836 Richardson, 1836 | synonym |
| Malthaea cubifrons (Richardson, 1836) (Richardson, 1836) | 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.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=275905 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:48YR8. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.