#lophiiformes

[lelouch]

Melanocetus johnsonii specimen found 2 km off the coast of Tenerife while a group of researchers were observing pelagic sharks.

Anglerfish normally live in the bathypelagic and mesopelagic zones (200-2000 meters deep),

The specimen died minutes after this video was taken and has been preserved by a museum in Spain.

[herpsandbirds]

Striated or Hairy Frogfish (Antennarius striatus), family Antennariidae, order Lophiiformes, found in the Indo-Pacific and eastern Atlantic Ocean

photograph by Judy Greer

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Thymichthys politus has been caught red handed! T. politus is more commonly known as the red handfish, not due to any criminal record, but for its unique pectoral fins which it uses to walk along the ocean floor.

(Image: A red handfish (Thymichthys politus) by Jemina Stuart-Smith)

[fish-facing-forward]

Gigantactis macronema (juv.)

Longpole Whipnose Anglerfish

Image source

Status: Least concern

Distribution: Sparsely recorded in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

[bestanimal]

Round 3 - Actinopterygii - Lophiiformes - Aug 3

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Order: Lophiiformes

Common Name: “anglerfish”

Families: 15 - Lophiidae (“goosefishes” and “monkfishes”), Antennariidae (“frogfishes”), Chaunacidae (“sea toads” and “coffinfishes”), Ogcocephalidae (“batfishes”), Caulophrynidae (“fanfin seadevils”), Neoceratidae (“Toothed Seadevil”), Melanocetidae (“black seadevils”), Himantolophidae (“footballfishes”), Diceratiidae (“double anglers”), Oneirodidae (“dreamers”), Thaumatichthyidae (“wolftrap anglers”), Centrophrynidae (“Horned Lantern Fish”), Ceratiidae (“warty seadevils”), Gigantactinidae (“whipnose anglers”), and Linophrynidae (“leftvents seadevils”)

Anatomy: gills open behind the pectoral fins (as opposed to behind the gill opening); depressible teeth can hinge back; in most species, a wide mouth extends all around the anterior circumference of the head, and bands of inwardly inclined teeth line both jaws; a modified dorsal fin ray acts as a lure to draw in prey; males are often several orders of magnitude smaller in mass than females

Diet: crustaceans, fish, worms

Habitat: marine and brackish habitats worldwide; the majority are demersal bottom-dwellers while some are pelagic; some live in the deep sea while others live in shallower waters

Evolved in: Eocene, possible Late Cretaceous

Do you have a favorite in Lophiiformes?

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Voting ended onAug 10, 2025

Propaganda under the cut:

The lure (esca) of anglerfish varies between species. In the deep-sea anglerfish (suborder Ceratioidei) (see gif above) the esca contain bioluminescent bacteria, making them glow in the dark waters of the deeper pelagic zones. In other species the esca possesses different luring mechanisms, such as emitting odoriferous chemicals that attract olfactory-driven prey. In some, the lure simply resembles prey attractive to small fish, such as shrimp or worms. If it is lost, the esca can be regenerated.

The Triplewart Seadevil (Cryptopsaras couesii) can move its lure back and forth with five distinct pairs of muscles.

In Europe and North America, the tail meat of fish of the genus Lophius, known as Monkfish or Goosefish (image 2), is widely used in cooking, and is often compared to lobster tail in taste and texture.

Frogfishes (family Antennariidae) (image 3) are masters of camouflage: many species can change colour and some are even covered with other organisms, such as algae or hydrozoa. They typically move along very slowly, walking on their pectoral and pelvic fins, lying in wait for prey, and then striking extremely rapidly, in as little as 6 milliseconds.

Deep-sea anglerfish (suborder Ceratioidei) employ an unusual mating method. When scientists first started capturing ceratioid anglerfish, they noticed that all of the specimens were female, and on some of these they had what appeared to be parasites attached to them. These turned out to be the highly dimorphic male ceratioids. This is one of the few instances of naturally occurring parabiosis. Because individuals are rare, encounters between two of the same species are very rare, let alone two members of the opposite sex, so finding a mate can be difficult. This has led to the development of sexual parasitism in deep-sea anglerfish, where the males latch onto their mates, using their mouths which may only be suited for this purpose. In some species of anglerfish, fusion between males and female is possible due to the lack of immune system keys that allow antibodies to mature and create receptors for T-cells.

While often depicted in close-up photos with very little surroundings for size reference; most anglerfish are on the small side, around 2–18 cm (1–7 in) long. However, some species do live up to the hype. The largest is the monkfish commonly known simply as the Anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius), reaching on average 40–60 centimetres (1.3–2 ft), with larger specimens growing up to 200 cm (6.6 ft) long! The largest deep sea anglerfish is the Krøyer's Deep Sea Angler Fish (Ceratias holboelli), which can reach 120 cm (3.9 ft) long, though most females only get up to 77 cm (2.5 ft) long.

[idrawsomethings]

Following recent news i came to know that a female anglerfish called the black sea devil swam vertically to the surface to die. I've been really inspired by it.

Something about sea creatures being attracted to a light that kills, fishes towards the angler, angler towards the sun.

(text could have been now i know why fish come towards the light to die, i can feel it shine on my face. idk if i should add the rest. For now it stays as an ominous "now i know")

[sharkestsharks]

goosefishcloseup.gif

[animalids]

Hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus)

Photo by Mike Bartick