black fish
Centrolophus niger (Gmelin, 1789)
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 black ruff (Centrolophus niger) is a medusafish, the only member of the genus Centrolophus. It is a pelagic fish found in all tropical and temperate oceans at depths of 0 to 1,000 m (0 to 3,280 ft). Its length is typically up to 60 cm (24 in), but it may reach 150 cm (60 in). Other common names include rudderfish and blackfish.
Wikipedia contributors, Centrolophus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:51:02.236057+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Centrolophus niger (Gmelin, 1789)
- Name authority
- (Gmelin, 1789)
- Common name
- black fish
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Scombriformes
- Family
- Centrolophidae
- Genus
- Centrolophus
- 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
- orderScombriformes
- familyCentrolophidae Bonaparte, 1846
- genusCentrolophus Lacepède, 1802
- speciesCentrolophus niger (Gmelin, 1789)
Close classified relatives
No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Gymnocephalus messanensis Cocco, 1829 Cocco, 1829 | synonym |
| Mupus bifasciatus Smith, 1961 Smith, 1961 | synonym |
| Centrolophus valenciennesi Moreau, 1881 Moreau, 1881 | synonym |
| Centrolophus pompilus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
| Centrolophodes irvini Gilchrist & von Bonde, 1923 Gilchrist & von Bonde, 1923 | synonym |
| Perca nigra Gmelin, 1789 Gmelin, 1789 | synonym |
| Acentrolophus maculosus Nardo, 1827 Nardo, 1827 | synonym |
| Coryphaena pompilus Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
| Gymnocephalus messinensis Cocco, 1829 Cocco, 1829 | synonym |
| Schedophilus elongatus Johnson, 1862 Johnson, 1862 | synonym |
| Centrolophodes irwini Gilchrist & von Bonde, 1923 Gilchrist & von Bonde, 1923 | synonym |
| Centrolophus maoricus Ogilby, 1893 Ogilby, 1893 | synonym |
| Centrolophus morio Cuvier, 1833 Cuvier, 1833 | synonym |
| Centrolophus liparis Risso, 1827 Risso, 1827 | 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=126831 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:69HW8. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.