| Sternoptyx Temporal range: Early Oligocene to Present 40–0 Ma |
|
|---|---|
| Diaphanous Hatchetfish (Sternoptyx diaphana) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Stomiiformes |
| Family: | Sternoptychidae |
| Subfamily: | Sternoptychinae |
| Genus: | Sternoptyx Hermann, 1781 |
Sternoptyx is an oceanic ray-finned fish genus which belongs in the family Sternoptychidae. This is the type genus of the Sternoptychidae, as well as the marine hatchetfish subfamily Sternoptychinae.
It contains only four living species:[1]
Fossils of this genus show that they have existed at least since the Early Oligocene, about 30 million years ago.[2]