The viviparous brotulas form a family, the Bythitidae, of ophidiiform fishes. They are known as viviparous brotulas as they generally bear live young,[1] although there are indications that some species (at least Didymothallus criniceps) do not.[2] They are generally infrequently seen, somewhat tadpole-like in overall shape and mostly about 5–10 cm (2–4 in) in length,[1] but some species grow far larger and may surpass 60 cm (2 ft).[3][4]
Since 2002, more than 110 new species have been added to this family.[8]
In 2005, 26 new species were described in a single paper by Danish and German scientists[9] and in 2007, an additional eight new genera with 20 new species were described in another paper by the same scientists.[10]
In some classifications the family Aphyonidae is placed within the Bythitidae and the tribe Dinematichthyini of the subfamily Brosmophycinae has been raised to the status of a family, the Dinematichthyidae which contains 25 genera and 114 species.[11]
^ abcNielsen, Jørgen G. (1998). Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 134. ISBN0-12-547665-5.
^ abNielsen; Schwarzhans; and Hadiaty (2009). A blind, new species of Diancistrus (Teleostei, Bythitidae) from three caves on Muna Island, southeast of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Cybium 33(3): 241-245.
^Schwarzhans & Møller (2007). "Review of the Dinematichthyini (Teleostei, Bythitidae) of the Indo-West pacific. Part III. Beaglichthys, Brosmolus, Monothrix and 8 new genera with description of 20 new species". The Beagle, Records of the Museum and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory. 23: 29–110.
^Møller PR; Knudsen SW; Schwarzhans W; Nielsen JG (2016). "A new classification of viviparous brotulas (Bythitidae) - with family status for Dinematichthyidae - based on molecular, morphological and fossil data". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 100: 391–408. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.04.008. PMID27060424. Abstract
^Nielsen J.G., Schwarzhans W., Cohen D.M. (2012). "Revision of Hastatobythites and Saccogaster (Teleostei, Bythitidae) with three new species and a new genus". Zootaxa. 3579: 1–36. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3579.1.1.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2012). "Bythitidae"inFishBase. June 2012 version.
