Anoptoplacus pygmaeus Smith-Vaniz, 2017
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
The pygmy jawfish (Anoptoplacus pygmaeus) is a species of ray-finned fish from the family Opistognathidae, the jawfishes. It is the only member of the monospecific genus Anoptoplacus and the species and genus were described based on two specimens collected at depths of 240–260 metres (790–850 ft) at the Arrowsmith Bank off Yucatan, Mexico. As the name suggests, the pygmy jawfish is a very small species and many of its meristic characters are reduced compared to other jawfishes.
Wikipedia contributors, Pygmy jawfish; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:01:21.806728+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Anoptoplacus pygmaeus Smith-Vaniz, 2017
- Name authority
- Smith-Vaniz, 2017
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Family
- Opistognathidae
- Genus
- Anoptoplacus
- 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
- familyOpistognathidae Bonaparte, 1835
- genusAnoptoplacus Smith-Vaniz, 2017
- speciesAnoptoplacus pygmaeus Smith-Vaniz, 2017
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.
- Smith-Vaniz, W. F. (2017). Descriptions of a new genus and two new species of Caribbean deep-water jawfishes (Teleostei: Opistognathidae). Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation, 26, 46–58. 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:66X27. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.