The status of the eelpout Lycodes terraenovae Collett, 1896, has long been uncertain, because the syntypes were thought to have been lost. The types were located and examined in Monaco, and it is now clear that L. terraenovae is a valid species. It differs from the sympatric species (Lycodes esmarkii and Lycodes vahlii) by its uniform coloration, lack of predorsal lateral line, smaller and fewer palatine teeth, and position of last precaudal vertebrae in relation to dorsal fin.