limp eelpout
Melanostigma gelatinosum Günther, 1881
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 limp eelpout (Melanostigma gelatinosum) is a marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. It is the type species of the genus Melanostigma, and this species is found in all oceans at depths of between 50 and 2,500 m (160 and 8,200 ft). This species has a maximum published total length of 29 cm (11 in).
Wikipedia contributors, Limp eelpout; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:57:25.958894+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Melanostigma gelatinosum Günther, 1881
- Name authority
- Günther, 1881
- Common name
- limp eelpout
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Perciformes
- Family
- Zoarcidae
- Genus
- Melanostigma
- 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
- orderPerciformes
- suborderZoarcoidei
- familyZoarcidae Swainson, 1839
- subfamilyGymnelinae Gill, 1863
- genusMelanostigma Günther, 1881
- speciesMelanostigma gelatinosum Günther, 1881
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Melanostigma. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Melanostigma inexpectatum Parin, 1977 | ZoarcidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostigma kharini Balushkin & Moganova, 2018 | ZoarcidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostigma japonicum Balushkin, 2019 | ZoarcidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanostigma bellingshauseni Orlovskaya & Balushkin, 2020 | ZoarcidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Melanostigma flaccidum Waite, 1914 Waite, 1914 | 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.
- Günther, A. (1881). III. Reptiles, batrachians, and fishes. In Günther, A. (ed.): Account of the zoological collections made during the survey of H. M. S. `Alert’ in the Straits of Magellan and on the coast of Patagonia. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, v. 49, 1881 (pt 1) (art. 1) (for 4 Jan. 1881): 2–141, Pls. 1–11. [Fishes on p. 19–22, Pls. 1–2]. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1881.tb01270.x 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:6R96H. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.