Maurolicus

"Pearlside" redirects here. This may also refer to the related Argyripnus iridescens.

Pearlsides Temporal range: Miocene to Present
Mueller's pearlside, Maurolicus muelleri
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Stomiiformes
Family:	Sternoptychidae
Subfamily:	Maurolicinae
Genus:	Maurolicus Cocco, 1838
Diversity
15 species

Maurolicus is an oceanic ray-finned fish genus which belongs in the marine hatchetfish family Sternoptychidae. They are commonly known as pearlsides, but the brilliant pearlside is the related Argyripnus iridescens. Occasionally, "bristle-mouth fishes" is used as a common name, but that usually refers to the genus Argyripnus or the family Gonostomatidae.

Fossils of pearlsides are known from the Miocene.

Species

There are currently 15 recognized species in this genus:

• Maurolicus amethystinopunctatus Cocco, 1838
• Maurolicus australis Hector, 1875 (pennant pearlside)
• Maurolicus breviculus Parin & Kobyliansky, 1993
• Maurolicus imperatorius Parin & Kobyliansky, 1993 (Emperor seamount lightfish)
• Maurolicus inventionis Parin & Kobyliansky, 1993
• Maurolicus japonicus Ishikawa, 1915 (North Pacific lightfish)
• Maurolicus javanicus Parin & Kobyliansky, 1993 (Javan pearlside)
• Maurolicus kornilovorum Parin & Kobyliansky, 1993
• Maurolicus mucronatus Klunzinger, 1871
• Maurolicus muelleri (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) (Silvery lightfish, Mueller's pearlside, Mueller's bristle-mouth fish)
• Maurolicus parvipinnis Vaillant, 1888
• Maurolicus rudjakovi Parin & Kobyliansky, 1993
• Maurolicus stehmanni Parin & Kobyliansky, 1996
• Maurolicus walvisensis Parin & Kobyliansky, 1993
• Maurolicus weitzmani Parin & Kobyliansky, 1993 (Atlantic pearlside, Weitzman's pearlside)