Chirodactylus jessicalenorum Smith, 1980
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
Chirodactylus jessicalenorum, the natal fingerfin, is a species of ray-finned fish within the family Cheilodactylidae. It is found in the Indian Ocean off the coast of South Africa, at depths of 3 to 20 metres (10 to 70 ft) below sea level.
Wikipedia contributors, Chirodactylus jessicalenorum; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:19:00.683852+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Chirodactylus jessicalenorum Smith, 1980
- Name authority
- Smith, 1980
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Centrarchiformes
- Family
- Cheilodactylidae
- Genus
- Chirodactylus
- 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
- orderCentrarchiformes
- familyCheilodactylidae Bonaparte, 1850
- genusChirodactylus Gill, 1862
- speciesChirodactylus jessicalenorum Smith, 1980
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Chirodactylus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Chirodactylus grandis (Günther, 1860) | CheilodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| two-tone fingerfinChirodactylus brachydactylus (Cuvier, 1830) | CheilodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
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.
- Smith, M. M. (1980). A review of the South African cheilodactylid fishes (Pisces, Perciformes), with descriptions of two new species. Ichthyological Bulletin of the J. L. B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology, 42: 1–14, Pls. 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. 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:5Y54K. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.