eelpout
Zoarces viviparus (Linnaeus, 1758)
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.
Viviparous eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) from the Gulf of Gdansk, caught near the Hel Marine Station
Yuriy Kvach · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 320 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The viviparous eelpout (Zoarces viviparus), also known as the viviparous blenny and European eelpout, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. It is notable for being ovoviviparous and gives birth to live larvae (hence the description "mother of eels"). It is a common soup ingredient in Mediterranean countries. The bones are of greenish colour, due to a harmless pigment. Their skin is slimy and the colour is variable.
Wikipedia contributors, Viviparous eelpout; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:28:21.817136+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Zoarces viviparus (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Common name
- eelpout
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Perciformes
- Family
- Zoarcidae
- Genus
- Zoarces
- 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
- orderPerciformes
- suborderZoarcoidei
- familyZoarcidae Swainson, 1839
- subfamilyZoarcinae Swainson, 1839
- genusZoarces Cuvier, 1829
- speciesZoarces viviparus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Zoarces. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| ocean poutZoarces americanus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) | ZoarcidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Zoarces fedorovi Chereshnev, Nazarkin & Chegodaeva, 2007 | ZoarcidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Andriashev’s eelpoutZoarces andriashevi Parin, Grigoryev & Karmovskaya, 2005 | ZoarcidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Notched-fin eelpoutZoarces elongatus Kner, 1868 | ZoarcidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Zoarces gillii Jordan & Starks, 1905 | ZoarcidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Zoarces viviparous (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
| Blennius viviparus Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | 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=127123 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:5D67P. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.