Spots, blotches, rings, and ocelli are prominent markings used in the identification of species, especially fishes, and frequently feature in the composition of scientific names of aquatic animals.
These are not rigorously defined terms in ichthyology, different authors appear to have preferences for particular Latin and Greek words leading to a variation in usage.
As a general guide:
Spot – a well-defined circular or sub-circular mark or pigment.
Blotch – an irregular pigment mark, often with poorly defined margins.
Ocellus (plural ocelli) – eye-spot; any spot resembling an eye, usually rounded with a lighter border; often functioning to distract or confuse predators.
Ring – a well-defined circular or sub-circular mark surrounding a feature such as an eye; differing from an ocellus in not resembling an eye.
Latin/Greek | Language | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| annul- | Latin, anulus | a ring | Pomacanthus annularis (Bloch, 1787), the Bluering angelfish |
| argus | Greek, argos (αργος) | mythology, a hundred eyed giant; alluding to spots or dots | Calloplesiops argus Fowler & Bean, 1930, the Finespotted comet |
| cyclo- | Greek, kuklos (κυκλος) | ring, circle | Labracinus cyclophthalmus (Müller & Troschel, 1849), the Fire-tail devil. |
| -encaeus | Greek, egkeas (εγκεας) | burn in, brand; alluding to spots | Stegastes diencaeus (Jordan & Rutter, 1897), the Longfin damselfish |
| -macula | Latin | a spot, mark, stain | Coris caudimacula (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834), the Spottail coris. |
| -maculatus, -a, -um | Latin, maculo | spot, spotted, variegated | Chaetodon quadrimaculatus Gray, 1831, the Fourspot butterflyfish |
| meleagris | Greek (μελεαγρις) | Guinea-fowl; alluding to a spotted pattern | Ostracion meleagris Shaw, 1796, the Whitespotted boxfish |
| -notatus | Latin, noto | to mark, designate with a mark, marked, brand | Ctenochaetus binotatus Randall, 1955, the Twospot surgeonfish |
| -ocellatus | Latin | having little eyes | Signigobius biocellatus Hoese & Allen, 1977, the Twinspot goby |
| ocelli- | Latin, ocellus | a little eye, eyelet | Chaetodon ocellicaudus Cuvier, 1831, the Spot-tail butterflyfish |
| pavo | Latin | Peacock; alluding to a spotted pattern | Iniistius pavo (Valenciennes, 1840), the Peacock wrasse |
| -pholis | Greek, pholis (φολις) | scale, spot | Cephalopholis argus Schneider, 1801, the Peacock hind |
| -punctatus, -a, -um | Latin | spotted, dotted | Arothron nigropunctatus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801), the Blackspotted puffer |
| -spilos -spilus spilo- | Greek, spilos (σπιλος) | spot, fleck, blemish; spotted | Genicanthus melanospilos (Bleeker, 1857), the Spotbreast angelfish |
| -stigma | Latin | a prick, puncture, a mark burned in, a mark of disgrace; spotted | Sebastapistes cyanostigma (Bleeker, 1856), the Yellowspotted scorpionfish |
| stigmat- | Greek, stigmatias (στιγματιας) | one who bears tattoo-marks; tattoo-mark, brand | Ecsenius stigmatura Fowler, 1952, the Tailspot coralblenny |