Diaphanous hatchet fish
Sternoptyx diaphana Hermann, 1781
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.
Sternoptyx diaphana
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Open encyclopedia reference
Sternoptyx diaphana, the diaphanous hatchetfish, is a species of deep sea ray-finned fish in the family Sternoptychidae. It is the type species of the genus Sternoptyx, and was first described by the French naturalist Johann Hermann in Der Naturforscher 1781.
Wikipedia contributors, Sternoptyx diaphana; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:39:03.386031+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Sternoptyx diaphana Hermann, 1781
- Name authority
- Hermann, 1781
- Common name
- Diaphanous hatchet fish
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Stomiiformes
- Family
- Sternoptychidae
- Genus
- Sternoptyx
- 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
- familySternoptychidae Duméril, 1805
- subfamilySternoptychinae Duméril, 1805
- genusSternoptyx Hermann, 1781
- speciesSternoptyx diaphana Hermann, 1781
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Sternoptyx. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Dark hatchetfishSternoptyx obscura Garman, 1899 | SternoptychidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| highlight hatchet fishSternoptyx pseudobscura Baird, 1971 | SternoptychidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sternoptyx pseudodiaphana Borodulina, 1977 | SternoptychidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Sternopteryx diaphana Hermann, 1781 Hermann, 1781 | 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.
- Hermann, J. (1781). Schreiben an den Herausgeber über eine neues amerikanisches Fischgeschlecht, Sternoptyx diaphana, der durchsichtige Brust-Falten-Fisch. Naturforscher, v. 16 (art. 2): 8–36, Pl. 1 (figs. 1–2). 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:52FR7. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.