Yokozuna Slickhead
Narcetes shonanmaruae Poulsen, Ida, Kawato & Fujiwara, 2021
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
Narcetes shonanmaruae, the yokozuna slickhead, is a species of large marine ray-finned fish, a slickhead belonging to the family Alepocephalidae. At over 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) in length, it is the largest species of slickhead, and the largest species of bony fish entirely restricted to the deep ocean.
It was first formally described in 2021, the description being based on four specimens which were collected below a depth of 2,171 m (7,123 ft) in Suruga Bay in Japan. Its largest verified size is 130 cm (51 in), however recent footage with a reference has given the fish a much larger estimated length of 253 cm (100 in), however unverified. The specific name references Shonan Maru, the ship the specimens were collected from. The proposed English name, yokozuna slickhead, refers to the highest ranking of sumo wrestler, the yokozuna.
Wikipedia contributors, Narcetes shonanmaruae; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:35:10.628367+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Narcetes shonanmaruae Poulsen, Ida, Kawato & Fujiwara, 2021
- Name authority
- Poulsen, Ida, Kawato & Fujiwara, 2021
- Common name
- Yokozuna Slickhead
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Alepocephaliformes
- Family
- Alepocephalidae
- Genus
- Narcetes
- 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
- orderAlepocephaliformes
- familyAlepocephalidae Bonaparte, 1846
- genusNarcetes Alcock, 1890
- speciesNarcetes shonanmaruae Poulsen, Ida, Kawato & Fujiwara, 2021
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Narcetes. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Narcetes erimelas Alcock, 1890 | AlepocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Narcetes kamoharai Okamura, 1984 | AlepocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Narcetes lloydi Fowler, 1934 | AlepocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| blackhead salmonNarcetes stomias (Gilbert, 1890) | AlepocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Narcetes wonderi Herre, 1935 | AlepocephalidaeChordata | 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.
- Fujiwara, Y., Kawato, M., Poulsen, J. Y., Ida, H., Chikaraishi, Y., Ohkouchi, N., Oguri, K., Gotoh, S., Ozawa, G., Tanaka, S., Miya, M., Sado, T., Kimoto, K., Toyofuku, T., & Tsuchida, S. (2021). Discovery of a colossal slickhead (Alepocephaliformes: Alepocephalidae): an active-swimming top predator in the deep waters of Suruga Bay, Japan. Scientific Reports, 11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-80203-6 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:D57QN. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.