Red Handfish, Thymichthys politus (Richardson, 1844)

Scientific name: Thymichthys politus
Red Handfish, Thymichthys politus Click to enlarge image
A Red Handfish photographed in the greater Hobart region, Tasmania, in late 2010. Image: Phil Malin
© Phil Malin

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Genus
    Thymichthys
    Species
    politus

Until recently, the species was placed in the genus Sympterichthys. In their handfish revision paper, Last and Gledhill (2009) created the new genus name Thymichthys, in which T. politus and T. verrucosus (the Warty Handfish) are now classified.

Distribution

The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Click on the map for detailed information. Source: Atlas of Living Australia.

Further reading

  1. Last, P.R. & D.C. Gledhill, 2009. A revision of the Australian handfishes (Lophiiformes: Brachionichthyidae), with descriptions of three new genera and nine new species. Zootaxa. 2252: 1-77.