Driftfishes are perciform fishes in the family Nomeidae. They are found in tropical and subtropical waters throughout the world.

The largest species, such as the Cape farthead, Cubiceps capensis, reach one metre in length.

Several species are found in association with siphonophores such as the Portuguese man of war; the man-of-war fish

Man-of-war fish

The man-of-war fish, Nomeus gronovii, is a driftfish, the only species in the genus Nomeus.Notable for living within the deadly tentacles of the Portuguese man o' war, the man-of-war fish is generally found in open sea or close to the siphonophore Portuguese man o' war, after which it is named...

, Nomeus gronovii, is known to eat its tentacles and gonads, as well as feeding on other jellyfish

Jellyfish

Jellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. Medusa is another word for jellyfish, and refers to any free-swimming jellyfish stages in the phylum Cnidaria...

es. Other species of driftfishes are associated with the floating seaweed Sargassum

Sargassum

Sargassum is a genus of brown macroalga in the order Fucales. Numerous species are distributed throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world, where they generally inhabit shallow water and coral reefs. However, the genus may be best known for its planktonic species...

. The Cape fathead feeds mainly on salp

Salp

A salp or salpa is a barrel-shaped, planktonic tunicate. It moves by contracting, thus pumping water through its gelatinous body...

s. Some species of Cubiceps

Cubiceps

Cubiceps is one genus among 4 genera containing all together 18 species of perciform fish of the family Nomeidae commonly known as Driftfish...

are occasionally caught on pelagic longlines set for swordfish.

Species

There are 18 species in four genera:

• Genus Cubiceps
  Cubiceps
  Cubiceps is one genus among 4 genera containing all together 18 species of perciform fish of the family Nomeidae commonly known as Driftfish...
  
  
  • Black fathead, Cubiceps baxteri McCulloch, 1923.
  • Blue fathead
    Blue fathead
    The blue fathead or cubehead, Cubiceps caeruleus, is a pelagic driftfish of the genus Cubiceps, found in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Its length is between 15 and 25 centimetres.-References:...
    
    , Cubiceps caeruleus Regan, 1914.
  • Cape fathead, Cubiceps capensis (Smith, 1845).
  • Driftfish, Cubiceps gracilis (Lowe, 1843).
  • Cubiceps kotlyari Agafonova, 1988.
  • Large-scale cigarfish, Cubiceps macrolepis Agafonova, 1988.
  • Dwarf cigarfish, Cubiceps nanus Agafonova, 1988.
  • Longfin cigarfish, Cubiceps paradoxus Butler, 1979.
  • Longfin fathead, Cubiceps pauciradiatus Günther, 1872.
  • Indian driftfish, Cubiceps squamiceps (Lloyd, 1909).
• Genus Nomeus
  • Man-of-war fish
    Man-of-war fish
    The man-of-war fish, Nomeus gronovii, is a driftfish, the only species in the genus Nomeus.Notable for living within the deadly tentacles of the Portuguese man o' war, the man-of-war fish is generally found in open sea or close to the siphonophore Portuguese man o' war, after which it is named...
    
    , Nomeus gronovii (Gmelin
    Johann Friedrich Gmelin
    Johann Friedrich Gmelin was a German naturalist, botanist, entomologist, herpetologist and malacologist.- Education :Johann Friedrich Gmelin was born as the eldest son of Philipp Friedrich Gmelin in 1748 in Tübingen...
    
    , 1789).
    
• Genus Parapsenes
  Parapsenes
  Parapsenes is one genus among 4 genera containing all together 18 species of perciform fish of the family Nomeidae commonly known as Driftfish.- Species :The genus Parapsenes contains only one species:* Round psen Parapsenes rotundus...
  
  
  • Round psen, Parapsenes rotundus (Smith, 1949).
• Genus Psenes
  Psenes
  Psenes is one genus among 4 genera containing all together 18 species of perciform fish of the family Nomeidae commonly known as Driftfish...
  
  
  • Banded driftfish, Psenes arafurensis Günther, 1889.
  • Freckled driftfish, Psenes cyanophrys Valenciennes
    Achille Valenciennes
    Achille Valenciennes was a French zoologist.Valenciennes was born in Paris, and studied under Georges Cuvier. Valenciennes' study of parasitic worms in humans made an important contribution to the study of parasitology...
    
    , 1833.
  • Silver driftfish, Psenes maculatus (Valenciennes
    Achille Valenciennes
    Achille Valenciennes was a French zoologist.Valenciennes was born in Paris, and studied under Georges Cuvier. Valenciennes' study of parasitic worms in humans made an important contribution to the study of parasitology...
    
    , 1836).
    
  • Bluefin driftfish
    Bluefin driftfish
    The bluefin driftfish or scissortail, Psenes pellucidus, is a pelagic driftfish of the genus Psenes, found in all the world's oceans at depths down to 1,000 m. Its length is up to 80 cm.-References:...
    
    , Psenes pellucidus Lütken, 1880.
  • Twospine driftfish, Psenes sio Haedrich, 1970.
  • Shadow driftfish, Psenes whiteleggii Waite, 1894.