scalloped ribbonfish
Zu cristatus (Bonelli, 1819)
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
Zu cristatus, or the scalloped ribbonfish, is a species of ribbonfish in the family Trachipteridae found circumglobally at tropical latitudes, at depths of around 90 m. It grows up to 118 cm in length, and adult weights are around 4000g. The scalloped ribbonfish is most often found in parts of the Mediterranean Sea. Juvenile specimen sightings are more commonly observed than their adult counterparts, as they favor shallower depths. An adult specimen of Z. cristatus was captured at a depth of 720 m off the cost of Italy. They are reported to eat squid, fish, and crustaceans.
In the past, the binomial name Trachypterus iris was misapplied to this fish.
Wikipedia contributors, Zu cristatus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:47:15.336251+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Zu cristatus (Bonelli, 1819)
- Name authority
- (Bonelli, 1819)
- Common name
- scalloped ribbonfish
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Lampriformes
- Family
- Trachipteridae
- Genus
- Zu
- 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
- orderLampriformes
- familyTrachipteridae Swainson, 1839
- genusZu Walters & Fitch, 1960
- speciesZu cristatus (Bonelli, 1819)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Zu. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Zu elongatus Heemstra & Kannemeyer, 1984 | TrachipteridaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Gymnetrus repandus Metaxà, 1833 Metaxà, 1833 | synonym |
| Trachipterus cristatus Bonelli, 1819 Bonelli, 1819 | synonym |
| Trachipterus ijimai Jordan & Snyder, 1901 Jordan & Snyder, 1901 | synonym |
| Trachipterus semiophorus Bleeker, 1868 Bleeker, 1868 | synonym |
| Trachypterus bonelli Valenciennes, 1835 Valenciennes, 1835 | synonym |
| Trachypterus bonnellii Valenciennes, 1835 Valenciennes, 1835 | synonym |
| Trachypterus cristatus Bonelli, 1819 Bonelli, 1819 | synonym |
| Trachypterus ijimae Jordan & Snyder, 1901 Jordan & Snyder, 1901 | synonym |
| Trachypterus semiophorus Bleeker, 1868 Bleeker, 1868 | synonym |
| Gymnetrus mullerianus Risso, 1840 Risso, 1840 | synonym |
| Trachipterus bonnellii Valenciennes, 1835 Valenciennes, 1835 | synonym |
| Trachipterus gavardi Bounhiol, 1923 Bounhiol, 1923 | synonym |
| Trachypterus gavardi Bounhiol, 1923 Bounhiol, 1923 | synonym |
| Trachypterus repandus (Metaxà, 1833) (Metaxà, 1833) | 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=126529 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:5D8VQ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.