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New Zealand flathead

species of fish

Specimen drawers, botanical folios and brass scientific instruments under study light
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMay 21, 2026
Entity authorityQ2302489 ↗
Source-derived summary

The New Zealand flathead (Bembrops morelandi) is a ray-finned fish of the family Bembropidae, found only around New Zealand, at depths between 365 and 395 m. Their length is up to 20 cm.

Etymology

The flathead is named in honor of John "Jock" Munne Moreland (1921-2012), who was the Curator of Ichthyology and Herpetology at the National Museum of New Zealand, because of his contribution to the study of the fishes of New Zealand.

References

Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Bembrops morelandi". FishBase. May 2006 version.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “New Zealand flathead” as species of fish. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewUseful for establishing the present vocabulary of the subject while preserving a route back to the evidence on which that vocabulary rests. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1921, 2012, 2006—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where Zealand, flathead and species can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as species of fish. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2302489. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1921, 2012 and 2006.

Critical limits

A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
Verify next

Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “New Zealand flathead”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow New Zealand flathead primary sources, New Zealand flathead archive and Zealand research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “New Zealand flathead”?
  2. Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
  3. Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “New Zealand flathead” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.