starry smooth-head
Photostylus pycnopterus Beebe, 1933
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
Photostylus is a monospecific genus of deepwater maine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Alepocephalidae, the slickheads. The only species in the genus is Photostylus pycnopterus, the starry smooth-head, a species found in all oceans at depths of from 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) to 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). This species grows to a length of 11 centimetres (4.3 in) SL.
Wikipedia contributors, Photostylus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:33:50.374000+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Photostylus pycnopterus Beebe, 1933
- Name authority
- Beebe, 1933
- Common name
- starry smooth-head
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Alepocephaliformes
- Family
- Alepocephalidae
- Genus
- Photostylus
- 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
- orderAlepocephaliformes
- familyAlepocephalidae Bonaparte, 1846
- genusPhotostylus Beebe, 1933
- speciesPhotostylus pycnopterus Beebe, 1933
Close classified relatives
No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.
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.
- Beebe, W. (1933). Deep-sea isospondylous fishes. Two new genera and four new species. Zoologica, 13. https://doi.org/10.5962/p.190350 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:4GT9X. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.