Stareater (fish)

Stareater; Temporal range: ?Late Eocene to present PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Astronesthes sp. (2008). The soft skin on this specimen was damaged by the net in which it was collected.
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Stomiiformes
Family:	Stomiidae
Subfamily:	Astronesthinae
Genus:	Astronesthes; J. Richardson, 1845
Species
	See text

Snaggletooths or stareaters are any of a number of small, deep-sea stomiid fish in the genus Astronesthes. They possess a bioluminescent red chin barbel that the fish use as a lure to attract small prey into striking distance.

The fish have delicate skin, and mouths filled with sharp, needlelike, curved teeth.^[1]

Species

There are currently 48 recognized species in this genus:^[2]

Astronesthes atlanticus Parin & Borodulina, 1996
Astronesthes bilobatus Parin & Borodulina, 1996 (Twinlobe snaggletooth)
Astronesthes boulengeri Gilchrist, 1902 (Boulenger's snaggletooth)
Astronesthes caulophorus Regan & Trewavas, 1929
Astronesthes chrysophekadion (Bleeker, 1849)
Astronesthes cyaneus (A. B. Brauer, 1902)
Astronesthes decoratus Parin & Borodulina, 2002
Astronesthes dupliglandis Parin & Borodulina, 1997
Astronesthes exsul Parin & Borodulina, 2002 (Exile snaggletooth)
Astronesthes fedorovi Parin & Borodulina, 1994
Astronesthes formosana Y. C. Liao, L. S. Chen & K. T. Shao, 2006
Astronesthes galapagensis Parin, Borodulina & Hulley, 1999
Astronesthes gemmifer Goode & T. H. Bean, 1896
Astronesthes gibbsi Borodulina, 1992
Astronesthes gudrunae Parin & Borodulina, 2002
Astronesthes haplophos Parin & Borodulina, 2002
Astronesthes ijimai S. Tanaka (I), 1908 (Ijima's snaggletooth)
Astronesthes illuminatus Parin, Borodulina & Hulley, 1999
Astronesthes indicus A. B. Brauer, 1902 (Black snaggletooth)
Astronesthes indopacificus Parin & Borodulina, 1997 (Indo-Pacific snaggletooth)
Astronesthes karsteni Parin & Borodulina, 2002
Astronesthes kreffti Gibbs & McKinney, 1988 (Krefft's snaggletooth)
Astronesthes lamellosus Goodyear & Gibbs, 1970
Astronesthes lampara Parin & Borodulina, 1998
Astronesthes leucopogon Regan & Trewavas, 1929
Astronesthes lucibucca Parin & Borodulina, 1996
Astronesthes lucifer C. H. Gilbert, 1905 (Pacific astronesthid fish)
Astronesthes luetkeni Regan & Trewavas, 1929
Astronesthes lupina Whitley, 1941 (Little wolf)
Astronesthes macropogon Goodyear & Gibbs, 1970
Astronesthes martensii Klunzinger, 1871
Astronesthes micropogon Goodyear & Gibbs, 1970
Astronesthes neopogon Regan & Trewavas, 1929
Astronesthes niger J. Richardson, 1845
Astronesthes nigroides Gibbs & Aron, 1960
Astronesthes oligoa Parin & Borodulina, 2002
Astronesthes psychrolutes (Gibbs & S. H. Weitzman, 1965) (Temperate snaggletooth)
Astronesthes quasiindicus Parin & Borodulina, 1996
Astronesthes richardsoni (Poey, 1852) (Richardson's snaggletooth)
Astronesthes similus A. E. Parr, 1927
Astronesthes spatulifer Gibbs & McKinney, 1988
Astronesthes splendidus A. B. Brauer, 1902 (Splendid snaggletooth)
Astronesthes tanibe Parin & Borodulina, 2001
Astronesthes tatyanae Parin & Borodulina, 1998
Astronesthes tchuvasovi Parin & Borodulina, 1996
Astronesthes trifibulatus Gibbs, Amaoka & Haruka, 1984 (Triplethread snaggletooth)
Astronesthes zetgibbsi Parin & Borodulina, 1997
Astronesthes zharovi Parin & Borodulina, 1998

The only potential fossil species of this genus is ?Astronesthes simus Arambourg, 1967 from the Late Eocene^[3] or Early Oligocene-aged Pabdeh Formation of Iran. However, its taxonomic assignment to this genus is uncertain. Remains from the Middle Eocene of Georgia previously assigned to this genus are now placed in their own genus, Azemiolestes.^[4]^[5]