Argyripnus
Encyclopedia
Argyripnus is an ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...

ic ray-finned fish genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 which belongs in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Sternoptychidae
Sternoptychidae
The marine hatchetfishes or deep-sea hatchetfishes as well as the related bottlelights, pearlsides and constellationfishes are small deep-sea bathypelagic ray-finned fish of the stomiiform family Sternoptychidae...

. They are commonly known as bristle-mouth fishes, but that may also refer to the related bristlemouth family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 (Gonostomatidae). A. iridescens is called "pearlside", which usually refers to the closely related genus Maurolicus.

As of 2009, six living species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 are placed in this genus:
  • Argyripnus atlanticus Maul, 1952
  • Argyripnus brocki Struhsaker, 1973 – Brock's Bristle-mouth Fish
  • Argyripnus electronus Parin, 1992
  • Argyripnus ephippiatus Gilbert & Cramer, 1897 – Gilbert & Cramer's Bristle-mouth Fish
  • Argyripnus iridescens McCulloch, 1926 – Brilliant Pearlside
  • Argyripnus pharos Harold & Lancaster, 2003


Fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...

s of bristle-mouth fishes show that the genus was already distinct in the Late Oligocene, more than 23 million years ago.
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