Melanostomias melanops Brauer, 1902
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
Melanostomias melanops is a species of fish endemic to the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. It occurs in depths of 350 to 1,024 m (1,148 to 3,360 ft), meaning they are a bathypelagic fish. Its hue is black and it has dark blotches. It has 13 and 15 dorsal and anal soft rays, respectively. The longest specimen was 26 cm (10 in) in length.
Wikipedia contributors, Melanostomias melanops; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:10:22.369559+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Melanostomias melanops Brauer, 1902
- Name authority
- Brauer, 1902
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Stomiiformes
- Family
- Stomiidae
- Genus
- Melanostomias
- 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
- orderStomiiformes
- familyStomiidae Bleeker, 1859
- subfamilyMelanostomiinae Parr, 1927
- genusMelanostomias Brauer, 1902
- speciesMelanostomias melanops Brauer, 1902
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Melanostomias. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| scaleless black dragonfishMelanostomias bartonbeani Parr, 1927 | StomiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostomias biseriatus Regan & Trewavas, 1930 | StomiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostomias macrophotus Regan & Trewavas, 1930 | StomiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostomias niger Gilchrist & von Bonde, 1924 | StomiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Three-ray dragonfishMelanostomias pauciradius Matsubara, 1938 | StomiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostomias globulifer Fowler, 1934 | StomiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostomias margaritifer Regan & Trewavas, 1930 | StomiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostomias melanopogon Regan & Trewavas, 1930 | StomiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostomias nigroaxialis Parin & Pokhil'skaya, 1978 | StomiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostomias paucilaternatus Parin & Pokhil'skaya, 1978 | StomiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostomias pollicifer Parin & Pokhil'skaya, 1978 | StomiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostomias stewarti Fowler, 1934 | StomiidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Melanostomias albibarba Regan & Trewavas, 1930 Regan & Trewavas, 1930 | 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.
- Brauer, A. (1902). Diagnosen von neuen Tiefseefischen, welche von der Valdivia-Expedition gesammelt sind. Zoologischer Anzeiger, v. 25 (no. 668): 277–298. 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:6QX5Z. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.