Barathronus

Barathronus is a genus of deep-sea fish that are placed in the family Aphyonidae (blind cusk eels)^[2][3] or family Bythitidae (brotulas),^[1][4] depending on the source.

Barathronus
Barathronus bicolor
Barathronus parfaiti
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Ophidiiformes
Family:	Aphyonidae
Genus:	Barathronus Goode & T. H. Bean, 1886
Type species
Barathronus bicolor Goode & Bean, 1886
Synonyms[1]
Alexeterion Vaillant 1888

Life cycle

Barathronus are viviparous deep-sea fish. However, a juvenile Barathronus pacificus has been recorded in shallow waters.^[5] Based on the stable oxygen isotope composition of otoliths, at least one species, Barathronus maculatus, has a pelagic larval stage, followed by an ontogenetic vertical migration to deeper waters.^[6]

Species

There are currently 10 recognized species in this genus, although the exact species differ between the FishBase^[2] and the Catalog of Fishes:^[1]

• Barathronus affinis A. B. Brauer, 1906
• Barathronus bicolor Goode & T. H. Bean, 1886
• Barathronus bruuni J. G. Nielsen, 1969
• Barathronus diaphanus A. B. Brauer, 1906
• Barathronus linsi J. G. Nielsen, Mincarone & di Dario, 2015 ^[7] — not listed in the FishBase
• Barathronus maculatus Shcherbachev, 1976 (Spotted gelatinous cusk)
• Barathronus multidens J. G. Nielsen, 1984
• Barathronus pacificus J. G. Nielsen & Eagle, 1974
• Barathronus parfaiti (Vaillant, 1888)
• Barathronus roulei J. G. Nielsen, 2019
• Barathronus solomonensis J. G. Nielsen & Møller, 2008 — recognized as Paraphyonus solomonensis in the Catalog of Fishes
• Barathronus unicolor J. G. Nielsen, 1984