Champsodon
genus of fishes
Champsodon is the sole genus in the family Champsodontidae. These fishes, the crocodile toothfishes, are native to the Indo-Pacific region.
Although Champsodon is the only extant genus of this family, a close relative is known in the extinct †Eochampsodon Bannikov, 2004 from the Middle Eocene (Bartonian) of the North Caucasus, Russia.
Species
The currently recognized species in this genus are:
Champsodon atridorsalis Ochiai & I. Nakamura, 1964
Champsodon capensis Regan, 1908 (gaper)
Champsodon fimbriatus C. H. Gilbert, 1905
Champsodon guentheri Regan, 1908 (Günther's sabre-gills)
Champsodon longipinnis Matsubara & Amaoka, 1964
Champsodon machaeratus Nemeth, 1994
Champsodon nudivittis (J. D. Ogilby, 1895)
Champsodon omanensis Regan, 1908
Champsodon pantolepis Nemeth, 1994
Champsodon sagittus Nemeth, 1994
Champsodon sechellensis Regan, 1908
Champsodon snyderi V. Franz, 1910
Champsodon vorax Günther, 1867
In addition to the extinct †Eochampsodon, the following fossil Champsodon species are known:
†Champsodon grossheimi (Daniltshenko, 1960) - Early Oligocene of North Caucasus, Russia.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Champsodon” is genus of fishes. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Champsodon, genus and fishes, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “genus of fishes” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
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 Sep 1, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q140950. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2004, 1964, 1908 and 1905.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. 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.
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This entry incorporates text from “Champsodon” 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.