Аннотация:The first phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies of the cosmopolitan deep-sea species, Asteronyx loveni Müller and Troschel, 1842, were conducted based on specimens collected from the Pacific coast of Japan. Partial sequences of mitochondrial 16S (68 specimens) and COI (24 specimens) genes were analyzed. Phylogenetic trees and network analyses revealed three lineages of A. loveni. Genetic distance and AMOVA (analysis of molecular variance) analyses suggested that the lineages should be considered three cryptic species. Skin on the aboral disc is partly thickened and forms a mesh-like pattern, which has never been reported in previous descriptions of Asteronyx; this provid as a new taxonomic character. Based on the absence/presence of mesh-like skin and the position and length of genital slits, one of the three lineages was assigned to A. loveni and another was recently described as a new species Asteronyx reticulata.