Vesposus

See also: vesposus

Translingual

Etymology

First described in 1921 by David Starr Jordan. From the Latin vespōsus (“waspy”), so named in allusion to the fish’s dry scales, which suggested to Jordan the material of a wasp’s nest.

Proper noun

Vesposus m

(obsolete) A taxonomic genus within the family Grammicolepididae – one species of tinselfish, Vesposus egregius.
- 1921 October 14, David Starr Jordan, “Description of deep-sea fishes from the coast of Hawaii, killed by a lava flow from Mauna Loa”, in Proceedings of the United States National Museum (in English), volume LIX (1922), № 2392, pages 651-652:
  This extraordinary fish is plainly allied to the Zeidae, although very properly placed in a different family, Grammicolepidae. The only other species of this family known, Grammicolepis brachiusculus Poey, is known from a single specimen obtained from deep water off Habana. In the new genus, Vesposus, the form of the body and fins is essentially the same, as is also the aquamation. The genus is apparently distinguished by the strong, hooked spines along the bases of dorsal and anal, and by the much larger ventral fins. Other apparent points of difference seem to be of specific value only. The name, vesposus, waspy, alludes to the dry scales, suggesting the material of a wasp’s nest.

Synonyms

(genus in the Grammicolepididae): Grammicolepis