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Anglerfish
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<h2 id="taxonomy">Taxonomy</h2> <p>Anglerfish were first grouped in the family of <a href="/facts/Acanthopterygians/MYDc7AKP">Acanthopterygians</a> with "pediculate pectoral [fin]s" (<i>pectorales pédiculėes</i>) by <a href="/facts/Cuvier/4mmE7NzN">Cuvier</a> in the 1829 edition of <a href="/facts/Le_R%25C3%25A8gne_Animal/t3c8DTVx">Le Règne Animal</a>;<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> being characterized by possessing "a sort of arm supporting their pectorals, formed by an elongated carpal bone". Cuvier placed the genera <i><a href="/facts/Lophius/zogUaEyB">Lophius</a></i> (incl. <i><a href="/facts/Lophius_piscatorius/TM0zIEtL">Lophius piscatorius</a></i>), <i>Chironectes</i>/<i><a href="/facts/Antennarius/W5tHt4Jk">Antennarius</a></i> (incl. various subspecies of <i><a href="/facts/Histrio_histrio/wb891sEW">Lophius histrio</a></i>), <i><a href="/facts/Ogcocephalus/3sfKF2ly">Malthe</a></i> (incl. <i><a href="/facts/Ogcocephalus_vespertilio/Wba7BK0H">Lophius vespertilio</a></i>), and <i><a href="/facts/Batrachus/BQvt9pre">Batrachus</a></i> within this family.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> Translations of this work into English and Latin renderred the family name as "Pectorales Pediculati";<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> which was eventually truncated into Pediculati or Pediculata (pediculate fish),<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> these names being used to classify anglerfish through 1926.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a> Though this term saw use in publications as late as the <a href="/facts/1970s/LUKfhuhW">1970s</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a> Pediculati has fallen out of use.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a> </p><p>The group Lophidia was conceived by <a href="/facts/Samuel_Garman/1J6TQhhx">Samuel Garman</a> in 1899;<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21"><sup>21</sup></a> this group was subdivided into the Lophioids (incl. <i>Lophius</i>, <i><a href="/facts/Lophiomus/8fxeDJKJ">Lophiomus</a></i>, <i><a href="/facts/Melanocetus/u7vUFbR7">Melanocetus</a></i>, <i><a href="/facts/Dolopichthys/v9b7dIrL">Dolopichthys</a></i>, <i><a href="/facts/Chaunax/hvJXfH8L">Chaunax</a></i>, and <i><a href="/facts/Chaunacops/guIbe41q">Chaunacops</a></i>) and the Halieutoids (incl. <i>Oncocephalus</i>, <i><a href="/facts/Halieutaea/vkernPyf">Halieutaea</a></i>, <i><a href="/facts/Halieutichthys/VTm6bLld">Halieutella</a></i>, <i><a href="/facts/Halieutichthys/VTm6bLld">Halieutichthys</a></i>, <i><a href="/facts/Halieutopsis/VqxhdlWm">Halieutopsis</a></i>, <i><a href="/facts/Halicmetus/6JJKa68x">Halicmetus</a></i>, <i><a href="/facts/Dibranchus/kekfYS8m">Dibranchus</a></i>, <i><a href="/facts/Dibranchus/kekfYS8m">Dibranchichthys</a></i>, and <i><a href="/facts/Malthopsis/BwRNJqKf">Malthopsis</a></i>) based on the orientation of the ilicium's base.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22"><sup>22</sup></a> By 1905, Lophiiformes came into use, at that time being a suborder of Pediculati.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23"><sup>23</sup></a> </p> <h3>Classification</h3> <p>Anglerfishes were classified by the 5th edition of <i><a href="/facts/Fishes_of_the_World/DRNmGe54">Fishes of the World</a></i> into 5 suborders and 18 families.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:24" href="#fn:24"><sup>24</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:25" href="#fn:25"><sup>25</sup></a> The following taxa have been arranged to show their evolutionary relationships based on morphological and molecular data. <a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:26" href="#fn:26"><sup>26</sup></a> </p> <ul><li>Suborder <a href="/facts/Lophioidei/rVIHqJtM">Lophioidei</a> <a href="/facts/Charles_Tate_Regan/lKATc9x4">Regan</a>, 1912 <ul><li>Infraorder <a href="/facts/Lophioidei/rVIHqJtM">Lophioidei</a> <a href="/facts/Charles_Tate_Regan/lKATc9x4">Regan</a>, 1912 <ul><li>Family <a href="/facts/Lophiidae/rVIHqJtM">Lophiidae</a> <a href="/facts/Constantine_Samuel_Rafinesque/d7XBK7x5">Rafinesque</a>, 1810 (Monkfishes and goosefishes)</li></ul></li> <li>Infraorder Antennarioideo Regan, 1912 <ul><li>Family <a href="/facts/Antennariidae/caW00RTx">Antennariidae</a> <a href="/facts/Feliks_Pawe%25C5%2582_Jarocki/6NLJN5Lc">Jarocki</a> 1822 (Frogfishes) <ul><li>Subfamily Fowlerichthyinae Maile et al., 2025</li> <li>Subfamily <a href="/facts/Antennariidae/caW00RTx">Antennariidae</a> <a href="/facts/Feliks_Pawe%25C5%2582_Jarocki/6NLJN5Lc">Jarocki</a> 1822 (Frogfishes)</li> <li>Subfamily Lophichthyinae Boeseman, 1964 (Lophichthyid frogfishes)</li> <li>Subfamily Tathicarpinae Hart et al., 2022</li> <li>Subfamily Tetrabrachiinae Regan, 1912 (Tetrabrachid frogfishes)</li> <li>Subfamily <a href="/facts/Histiophryninae/Toyncegv">Histiophryninae</a> Arnold and Pietsch, 2012</li> <li>Subfamily Brachionichthyinae <a href="/facts/Theodore_Gill/RIFNItGm">Gill</a>, 1863 (Handfishes or warty anglerfishes)</li> <li>Subfamily Rhycherinae Hart et al., 2022</li></ul></li></ul></li> <li>Infraorder Ogcocephaloideo Pietsch, 1984 <ul><li>Family <a href="/facts/Ogcocephalidae/1gdL4f3e">Ogcocephalidae</a> Gill, 1893 (Batfishes)</li></ul></li> <li>Infraorder Chaunacoideo <a href="/facts/Theodore_Wells_Pietsch_III/w4AxnPv7">Pietsch</a> & Grobecker, 1987 <ul><li>Family <a href="/facts/Chaunacidae/XJQCl0Xt">Chaunacidae</a> Gill, 1863 (Sea toad)</li></ul></li> <li>Infraorder Ceratioideo Regan, 1912 <ul><li>Family <a href="/facts/Caulophrynidae/fbCV3cMj">Caulophrynidae</a> <a href="/facts/George_Brown_Goode/fsmvN5x5">Goode</a> & <a href="/facts/Tarleton_Hoffman_Bean/9dCGBHYV">Bean</a>, 1896 (Fanfins)</li> <li>Family <a href="/facts/Linophrynidae/nHRqVKwc">Linophrynidae</a> Regan, 1925 (Leftvents)</li> <li>Family <a href="/facts/Ceratiidae/WKrIcJdA">Ceratiidae</a> Gill, 1861 (Warty seadevils)</li> <li>Family <a href="/facts/Gigantactinidae/buvbdp3p">Gigantactinidae</a> <a href="/facts/George_Albert_Boulenger/s50REt6N">Boulenger</a>, 1904 (Whipnose anglers)</li> <li>Family <a href="/facts/Thaumatichthyidae/t00n6wxY">Thaumatichthyidae</a> <a href="/facts/Hugh_McCormick_Smith/DbkPGXRL">Smith</a> & <a href="/facts/Lewis_Radcliffe/vuREIQwj">Radcliffe</a>, 1912 (Wolftrap anglers)</li> <li>Family <a href="/facts/Centrophrynidae/47VUmMa7">Centrophrynidae</a> <a href="/facts/Erik_Bertelsen/rDxXtNlC">Bertelsen</a>, 1951 (Prickly seadevils)</li> <li>Family <a href="/facts/Neoceratiidae/SYoNGleF">Neoceratiidae</a> Regan, 1926 (Spiny seadevils)</li> <li>Family <a href="/facts/Diceratiidae/cS3PkHoH">Diceratiidae</a> Regan & <a href="/facts/Ethelwynn_Trewavas/fzC6cx4p">Trewavas</a>, 1932 (Double anglers)</li> <li>Family <a href="/facts/Melanocetidae/u7vUFbR7">Melanocetidae</a> Gill, 1878 (Black seadevils)</li> <li>Family <a href="/facts/Himantolophidae/RTj5PyWI">Himantolophidae</a> Gill, 1861 (Footballfishes)</li> <li>Family <a href="/facts/Oneirodidae/uW7f2WsC">Oneirodidae</a> Gill, 1878 (Dreamers)</li></ul></li></ul></li></ul> <p>Below are two <a href="/facts/Phylogenetic_tree/f5vVEpeY">phylogenetic trees</a>; the left phylogeny elaborates on the relationships of the suborders within Lophiiformes as set out in Pietsch and Grobecker's 1987 <i>Frogfishes of the world: systematics, zoogeography, and behavioral ecology</i>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:27" href="#fn:27"><sup>27</sup></a> while the right phylogeny is based on a 2025 study combining the analysis of <a href="/facts/Ultraconserved_element/2FfXg6FC">Ultra-Conserved Elements (UCE)s</a>, <a href="/facts/Mitochondrial_DNA/goC0ex0X">mitochondrial DNA</a>, and <a href="/facts/Morphology_(biology)/Nl3B0myy">morphological</a> evidence;<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:28" href="#fn:28"><sup>28</sup></a> </p> <table><tbody><tr><td><table><tbody><tr><td>Lophiiformes</td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><a href="/facts/Lophioidei/rVIHqJtM">Lophioidei</a></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><a href="/facts/Antennarioidei/2Va4Ry9m">Antennarioidei</a></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><a href="/facts/Chaunacoidei/XJQCl0Xt">Chaunacoidei</a></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><a href="/facts/Ogcocephaloidei/1gdL4f3e">Ogcocephaloidei</a></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><a href="/facts/Ceratioidei/xVFUEY95">Ceratioidei</a></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td><table><tbody><tr><td>Acanthuriformes</td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p>Tetraodontoidei</p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td>Lophioidei</td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p>Lophioideo</p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p>Antennarioideo</p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p>Ogcocephaloideo</p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p>Chaunacoideo</p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p>Ceratioideo</p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> <a href="/facts/Phylogenetics/bw4rsovt">Phylogenetic</a> studies have consistently recovered the <a href="/facts/Lophiiformes/oTpyBSjS">Lophiiformes</a> as sister-group to the <a href="/facts/Tetraodontiformes/e65czV4A">Tetraodontiformes</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:29" href="#fn:29"><sup>29</sup></a>, with both (as of 2025) within the larger clade <a href="/facts/Acanthuriformes/GDWsVmPF">Acanthuriformes</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:30" href="#fn:30"><sup>30</sup></a> The <a href="/facts/Lophiiformes/oTpyBSjS">Lophiiformes</a> and <a href="/facts/Tetraodontiformes/e65czV4A">Tetraodontiformes</a> are united by several morphological features including restricted gill openings, the absence of anal spines, ribs, nasals, and a basisphenoid.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:31" href="#fn:31"><sup>31</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="evolution">Evolution</h2> <p>The earliest fossils of anglerfish are from the <a href="/facts/Eocene/EYgI8Uco">Eocene</a> <a href="/facts/Monte_Bolca/0JCDrmux">Monte Bolca</a> formation of <a href="/facts/Italy/tUf0PDYF">Italy</a>, and these already show diversification into the modern families that make up the order.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:32" href="#fn:32"><sup>32</sup></a> Given this, and their close relationship to the Tetraodontiformes which are known from <a href="/facts/Cretaceous/nwKtFtKx">Cretaceous</a> fossils, they likely originated during the Cretaceous.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:33" href="#fn:33"><sup>33</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:34" href="#fn:34"><sup>34</sup></a> </p><p>A 2010 <a href="/facts/Mitochondrial_DNA/goC0ex0X">mitochondrial genome</a> phylogenetic study suggested the anglerfishes <a href="/facts/Adaptive_radiation/NdoH2o1f">diversified in a short period</a> of the early to mid-Cretaceous, between 130 and 100 million years ago.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:35" href="#fn:35"><sup>35</sup></a> A more recent preprint reduces this time to the <a href="/facts/Late_Cretaceous/pcHa4fBg">Late Cretaceous</a>, between 92 and 61 million years ago.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:36" href="#fn:36"><sup>36</sup></a> Other studies indicate that anglerfish only originated shortly after the <a href="/facts/Cretaceous%25E2%2580%2593Paleogene_extinction_event/HNyDuEcx">Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event</a> as part of a massive adaptive radiation of <a href="/facts/Percomorpha/xDsdRavh">percomorphs</a>, although this clashes with the extensive diversity already known from the group by the Eocene.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:37" href="#fn:37"><sup>37</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:38" href="#fn:38"><sup>38</sup></a> A 2024 study found that all anglerfish suborders most likely diverged from one another during the <a href="/facts/Late_Cretaceous/pcHa4fBg">Late Cretaceous</a> and <a href="/facts/Paleocene/IWWoh8D9">Paleocene</a>, but the multiple families of deep-sea anglerfishes (<a href="/facts/Ceratioidei/xVFUEY95">Ceratioidei</a>), as well as their trademark <a href="/facts/Sexual_parasitism/eDyjNSmp">sexual parasitism</a>, originated during the Eocene in a rapid radiation following the <a href="/facts/Paleocene%25E2%2580%2593Eocene_Thermal_Maximum/QnPVzRR7">Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:39" href="#fn:39"><sup>39</sup></a> </p><p>Anglerfish appear in the <a href="/facts/Fossil_record/by7NzIA1">fossil record</a> as follows:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:40" href="#fn:40"><sup>40</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:41" href="#fn:41"><sup>41</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:42" href="#fn:42"><sup>42</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:43" href="#fn:43"><sup>43</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="anatomy">Anatomy</h2> <p>Anglerfish are <a href="/facts/Apomorphy_and_synapomorphy/t21GWRl1">defined</a> by gills that open behind the pectoral fins, as opposed to other fish whose pectorals lay behind the gill opening, and the luring apparatus (see subsection).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:44" href="#fn:44"><sup>44</sup></a> </p><p>Anglerfish lengths can vary from 2–18 cm (1–7 in), with a few types getting as large as 100 cm (39 in).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:45" href="#fn:45"><sup>45</sup></a> The largest members are the European monkfish (<i>Lophius piscatorius</i>; 200 centimetres (6.6 ft) <a href="/facts/Standard_Length/eFsVjjTu">SL</a>, 57.7 kilograms (127 lb)) and the deep-sea <i>Ceratias holboelli</i> (120 centimetres (3.9 ft) <a href="/facts/Total_length/eFsVjjTu">TL</a>).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:46" href="#fn:46"><sup>46</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:47" href="#fn:47"><sup>47</sup></a> </p><p>Many suborders are sexually dimorphic, with the deep-sea anglerfish being the most extreme example; male <i>C. holboelli</i> can reach up to 16 centimetres (6.3 in) long (SL), while females are commonly around 77 centimetres (2.53 ft) TL.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:48" href="#fn:48"><sup>48</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:49" href="#fn:49"><sup>49</sup></a> Male <i><a href="/facts/Photocorynus_spiniceps/eWRHLcpx">Photocorynus spiniceps</a></i> were measured to be 6.2–7.3 mm (0.24–0.29 in) at maturity, and were at one time claimed to be the <a href="/facts/Smallest_organisms/PXK7thKB">smallest vertebrate known</a>. However, due to not being free-living (being parasitic males) and the females being 50.5 mm (1.99 in), they are now often excluded from the records.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:50" href="#fn:50"><sup>50</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:51" href="#fn:51"><sup>51</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:52" href="#fn:52"><sup>52</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:53" href="#fn:53"><sup>53</sup></a> Sexual dimorphism is not as pronounced in other suborders; the Lophiid monkfish genus <i>Lophiodes</i> are quite similar in size between the genders (<a href="/facts/Mean/swcEd4Pg">Mean</a> for Males 113–133 millimetres (4.4–5.2 in) SL; Females 131–171 millimetres (5.2–6.7 in) SL),<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:54" href="#fn:54"><sup>54</sup></a> and the same is true for <i>Lophius</i> proper (Males 68.50–129.50 centimetres (2.247–4.249 ft); Females 93.50–166.60 centimetres (3.068–5.466 ft)).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:55" href="#fn:55"><sup>55</sup></a> </p><p>Shallow-water anglerfish species such as frogfish are <a href="/facts/Ambush_predator/Va9QYvEB">ambush predators</a>, often <a href="/facts/Camouflage/GSjGqPuR">camouflaging</a> as rocks, <a href="/facts/Sponge/E9T2WFWA">sponges</a> or <a href="/facts/Seaweed/thLwLBk8">seaweed</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:56" href="#fn:56"><sup>56</sup></a> To blend in with the featureless dark depths they inhabit, deep-sea anglerfish are dark colored, with tints ranging from grey to brown.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:57" href="#fn:57"><sup>57</sup></a>[<i>better source needed</i>] </p><p>In most species, a wide mouth extends all around the anterior (front) circumference of the head, and bands of inwardly inclined teeth line both jaws. The teeth can be depressed (swept back) so as to offer no impediment to prey gliding towards the stomach, but to still prevent its escape.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:58" href="#fn:58"><sup>58</sup></a>[<i>better source needed</i>] Anglerfish are able to distend both their jaw and stomach to enormous size, since their bones are thin and flexible, which allows them to swallow prey up to twice as large as their entire bodies.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:59" href="#fn:59"><sup>59</sup></a>[<i>better source needed</i>] </p> <h3>Esca and illicium</h3> <p>All anglerfish are <a href="/facts/Carnivorous/q6h6aSqe">carnivorous</a> and are thus adapted for the capture of prey.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:60" href="#fn:60"><sup>60</sup></a> A character shared by all anglerfish suborders is the presence of a <a href="/facts/Bait_(luring_substance)/duxopWt0">"lure" or "bait"</a>, unambiguously referred to as the <i>esca</i>. The esca is the tip of a fin ray, modified from the anterior dorsal fin; this fin-ray is often referred to as the "<a href="/facts/Fishing_rod/uef65wdk">fishing rod</a>" or "<a href="/facts/Fishing_line/2VzdtgBo">-line</a>" and is scientifically termed the <i>illicium</i>. The illicial apparatus consists of the illicial <a href="/facts/Pterygiophore/zAPuxI1G">pterygiophore</a> (the "base" of the structure), followed by a second short dorsal spine, and tipped with the illicial bone and esca proper, all of which may slot into a groove that accommodates part or all of the illicial apparatus.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:61" href="#fn:61"><sup>61</sup></a>: 33–40 Both the esca and illicium are used in tandem to lure prey.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:62" href="#fn:62"><sup>62</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:63" href="#fn:63"><sup>63</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:64" href="#fn:64"><sup>64</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:65" href="#fn:65"><sup>65</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:66" href="#fn:66"><sup>66</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:67" href="#fn:67"><sup>67</sup></a> The illicium's length is highly variable across species, from not being visible at all in some species, to around 4.9 times SL (over 4 times the length of the rest of the body) in <i>Gigantactis macronema</i> (body length 354 mm (13.9 in)).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:68" href="#fn:68"><sup>68</sup></a>: 469 <a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:69" href="#fn:69"><sup>69</sup></a> </p><p>This illicial apparatus is most notable in the deep-sea anglerfish (Ceratioidei) as their esca contain <a href="/facts/Bioluminescent_bacteria/XMzd9GGH">bioluminescent bacteria</a>, making them glow in the dark waters of the deeper pelagic zones.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:70" href="#fn:70"><sup>70</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:71" href="#fn:71"><sup>71</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:72" href="#fn:72"><sup>72</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:73" href="#fn:73"><sup>73</sup></a> In other species the esca possesses different luring mechanisms, such as emitting <a href="/facts/Odoriferous/WnCopMmH">odoriferous</a> chemicals that attract olfactory-driven prey (batfish, Ogcocephaloidei; possibly sea toads, Chaunacioidei), or by resembling prey attractive to small fish such as <a href="/facts/Shrimp/QeWUDe2b">shrimp</a> or <a href="/facts/Marine_worm/pWY7VSqn">worms</a> (frogfish, Antennarioidei). When the prey is close enough, the anglerfish catches it using <a href="/facts/Suction_feeding/Fow990hf">suction feeding</a>, elongated sharp teeth, or both.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:74" href="#fn:74"><sup>74</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:75" href="#fn:75"><sup>75</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:76" href="#fn:76"><sup>76</sup></a>: 263 While sometimes reported to possess a bioluminescent esca, sea toads lack bioluminescent bacteria and do not actually possess this feature.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:77" href="#fn:77"><sup>77</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:78" href="#fn:78"><sup>78</sup></a> </p><p>In at least the <a href="/facts/Triplewart_seadevil/gG6SeGQE">triplewart seadevil</a>, the illicium is moved back and forth by five distinct pairs of muscles: namely the shorter erector and depressor muscles that dictate movement of the illicial bone, along with inclinator, protractor, and retractor muscles that aid motion of the <a href="/facts/Dorsal_fin/zAPuxI1G">pterygiophore</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:79" href="#fn:79"><sup>79</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="behavior">Behavior</h2> <h3>Predation</h3> <p>The name "anglerfish" derives from the species' characteristic method of predation. Anglerfish typically have at least one long filament sprouting from the middle of their heads, termed the illicium. The illicium is the detached and modified first three spines of the <a href="/facts/Anterior/IpJ1fq2f">anterior</a> <a href="/facts/Dorsal_fin/zAPuxI1G">dorsal fin</a>. In most anglerfish species, the longest filament is the first. This first spine protrudes above the fish's eyes and terminates in an irregular growth of flesh (the esca), and can move in all directions. Anglerfish can wiggle the esca to make it <a href="/facts/Mimicry/ve3GVt7o">resemble</a> a prey animal, which lures the anglerfish's prey close enough for the anglerfish to devour them whole.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:80" href="#fn:80"><sup>80</sup></a> Some deep-sea anglerfish of the <a href="/facts/Bathyal_zone/xxkGTQ5b">bathypelagic zone</a> also emit light from their <a href="/facts/Fin_ray/kS10PMPf">esca</a> to attract prey.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:81" href="#fn:81"><sup>81</sup></a> </p><p>Because anglerfish are opportunistic foragers, they show a range of preferred prey with fish at the extremes of the size spectrum, whilst showing increased selectivity for certain prey. One study examining the stomach contents of threadfin anglerfish off the Pacific coast of Central America found these fish primarily ate two categories of <a href="/facts/Benthic_zone/N3lM6P7I">benthic</a> prey: <a href="/facts/Crustaceans/PBobIVJP">crustaceans</a> and <a href="/facts/Teleostei/1YULPGW5">teleost</a> fish. The most frequent prey were <a href="/facts/Pandalidae/s0yGSf10">pandalid shrimp</a>. 52% of the stomachs examined were empty, supporting the observations that anglerfish are low energy consumers.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:82" href="#fn:82"><sup>82</sup></a> <a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:83" href="#fn:83"><sup>83</sup></a> </p> <h3>Movement and energy conservation</h3> <p>All anglerfish are weak swimmers, including the pelagic deep-sea anglerfish. Demersal species often "walk" on the bottom upon their pectoral and pelvic fins, the latter fin pair having been lost in deep-sea anglers.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:84" href="#fn:84"><sup>84</sup></a>[<i>better source needed</i>] </p><p>In 2005, near <a href="/facts/Monterey%2c_California/ssUz4gN8">Monterey, California</a> at 1,474 metres depth, an <a href="/facts/Remotely_operated_underwater_vehicle/6BTTBNbk">ROV</a> filmed a female ceratioid anglerfish of the genus <i><a href="/facts/Oneirodes/VXpS11MQ">Oneirodes</a></i> for 24 minutes. When approached, the fish retreated rapidly, but in 74% of the video footage, it drifted passively, oriented at any angle. When advancing, it swam intermittently at a speed of 0.24 body lengths per second, beating its pectoral fins in-phase. The lethargic behavior of this ambush predator is suited to the energy-poor environment of the deep sea.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:85" href="#fn:85"><sup>85</sup></a> </p><p><i><a href="/facts/In_situ/YolKlaCC">In situ</a></i> observation of three different female <a href="/facts/Whipnose_angler/buvbdp3p">whipnose anglerfish</a> showed unusual inverted (upside-down) swimming behavior; the fish were observed floating inverted completely motionless with the illicium hanging down stiffly in a slight arch in front of the fish, hanging over small burrows in the <a href="/facts/Pelagic_sediment/D286yP33">substrate</a>. It was suggested this is an effort to entice prey and an example of low-energy opportunistic foraging and predation. When the ROV approached the fish, they exhibited burst swimming, remaining inverted.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:86" href="#fn:86"><sup>86</sup></a> </p><p>The jaw and stomach of the anglerfish can extend to allow it to consume prey up to twice its size. Because of the limited amount of food available in the anglerfish's environment, this adaptation allows the anglerfish to store food when there is an abundance. </p><p>The sea toad <i><a href="/facts/Chaunax_endeavouri/Yyjs0HsP">Chaunax endeavouri</a></i> has been observed to retain water in its gills for at least around 26 seconds and up to 4 minutes in some cases. This behavior is thought to be an energy-saving measure as <a href="/facts/Respiration_(physiology)/KKWAJIbd">respiration</a> requires energy, thus the fish "holding its breath" may conserve enough energy for such a behavior to be beneficial.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:87" href="#fn:87"><sup>87</sup></a> </p> <h3>Reproduction</h3> <p>The <a href="/facts/Deep-sea_anglerfish/xVFUEY95">deep-sea anglerfish</a> employ an unusual mating method: because individuals are locally rare, encounters between two of the same species are also very rare, and finding a mate can be problematic; this has led to the development of <a href="/facts/Sexual_parasitism/eDyjNSmp">sexual parasitism</a> in anglerfish, where the males latch onto their mates using their mouths, which may not be suitable or effective for prey capture.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:88" href="#fn:88"><sup>88</sup></a> 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 <a href="/facts/Parasitism/HWPcgky7">parasites</a> attached to them, which turned out to be highly dimorphic male ceratioids. This is one of the few instances of <a href="/facts/Parabiosis/FTXrna6S">naturally occurring parabiosis</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:89" href="#fn:89"><sup>89</sup></a> In some species of anglerfish, fusion between male and female when reproducing is possible due to the lack of immune system keys that allow antibodies to mature and create receptors for T-cells.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:90" href="#fn:90"><sup>90</sup></a> </p> <p class="note">Further information: <a href="/facts/Ceratioidei/xVFUEY95">Ceratioidei § Sexual parasitism</a></p> <p>The spawn of the anglerfish of the genus <i><a href="/facts/Lophius/zogUaEyB">Lophius</a></i> consists of a thin sheet of transparent gelatinous material 25 cm (10 in) wide and may be longer than 10 m (33 ft); this "egg mass" may contain over a million eggs.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:91" href="#fn:91"><sup>91</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:92" href="#fn:92"><sup>92</sup></a> The eggs in this sheet are in a single layer, each in its own cavity. The <a href="/facts/Ichthyoplankton/vBaFpfoA">larvae are pelagic</a> and have the pelvic fins elongated into filaments. It is thought that these egg masses effectively disperse their young over great distances and a large area.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:93" href="#fn:93"><sup>93</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:94" href="#fn:94"><sup>94</sup></a> A 77 millimetres (3.0 in) female <i><a href="/facts/Linophryne_arborifera/tj3o2LY5">Linophryne arborifera</a></i>, with a 15 millimetres (0.59 in) parasitic male, was observed to have numerous eggs embedded in a gelatinous mass (an "egg raft" or "veil") protruding from the genital opening; the eggs, 0.6–0.8mm in diameter, are among the largest known for any ceratioid.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:95" href="#fn:95"><sup>95</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:96" href="#fn:96"><sup>96</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="relation-to-humans">Relation to humans</h2> <p>One family, the <a href="/facts/Lophiidae/rVIHqJtM">Lophiidae</a>, is of commercial interest with fisheries found in western Europe, eastern North America, Africa, and East Asia. In Europe and North America, the tail meat of fish of the genus <i><a href="/facts/Lophius/zogUaEyB">Lophius</a></i>, known as monkfish or goosefish (North America), is widely used in cooking, and is often compared to <a href="/facts/Lobster/c5eYu72w">lobster</a> tail in taste and texture. </p><p>In Africa, the countries of Namibia and the Republic of South Africa record the highest catches.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:97" href="#fn:97"><sup>97</sup></a> In Asia, especially Japan, monkfish liver, known as <i><a href="/facts/Ankimo/pBUIumCe">ankimo</a></i>, is considered a delicacy.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:98" href="#fn:98"><sup>98</sup></a> Anglerfish is especially heavily consumed in South Korea, where it is featured as the main ingredient in dishes such as <i><a href="/facts/Agujjim/AJJLFGj8">Agujjim</a></i>. </p> <p>Northwest European <i>Lophius</i> species are heavily fished and are listed by the <a href="/facts/International_Conference_on_Environmental_Systems/7uTXTtX4">ICES</a> as "outside safe biological limits".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:99" href="#fn:99"><sup>99</sup></a> Additionally, anglerfish are known to occasionally rise to the surface during <a href="/facts/El_Ni%25C3%25B1o/HsqetArr">El Niño</a>, leaving large groups of dead anglerfish floating on the surface.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:100" href="#fn:100"><sup>100</sup></a> </p><p>In 2010, <a href="/facts/Greenpeace/nB8x6RJL">Greenpeace</a> International added the American angler (<i><a href="/facts/Lophius_americanus/tWw7WPsb">Lophius americanus</a></i>), the angler (<i><a href="/facts/Lophius_piscatorius/TM0zIEtL">Lophius piscatorius</a></i>), and the black-bellied angler (<i><a href="/facts/Lophius_budegassa/nsV6V98l">Lophius budegassa</a></i>) to its seafood red list—a list of fish commonly sold worldwide with a high likelihood of being sourced from unsustainable fisheries.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:101" href="#fn:101"><sup>101</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:102" href="#fn:102"><sup>102</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="further-reading">Further reading</h2> <ul><li>Anderson, M. Eric, and Leslie, Robin W. 2001. <a href="http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1019903">Review of the deep-sea anglerfishes (Lophiiformes: Ceratioidei) of southern Africa.</a> Ichthyological Bulletin of the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology; No. 70. J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology, Rhodes University</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lophioidei. <ul><li><a href="http://tolweb.org/Lophiiformes">Tree of Life web project: Lophiiformes</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anDIlMVgNwk">Video (02:37) – Anglerfish mating</a> on <a href="/facts/YouTube_video_(identifier)/db276jst">YouTube</a></li> <li>Lu, D. Anglerfish immune system lets them fuse with their mate. New Scientist 247, 19 (2020).</li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Order Lophiiformes". FishBase. February 2006 version. <a href="/wiki/Rainer_Froese" target="_blank">/wiki/Rainer_Froese</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Maile, Alex J.; Smith, W. Leo; Davis, Matthew P. (2 May 2025). "A total-evidence phylogenetic approach to understanding the evolution, depth transitions, and body-shape changes in the anglerfishes and allies (Acanthuriformes: Lophioidei)". PLOS. 20 (5): e0322369. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0322369. PMC 12047784. PMID 40315280. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12047784" target="_blank">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12047784</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Cuvier, Georges; Latreille, Pierre André (1829–1830). Le règne animal distribué d'après son organisation, pour servir de base à l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction à l'anatomie comparée (in French) (Nouvelle édition rev. et aug. ed.). Paris: Paris Chez Déterville. pp. 249–254. Retrieved 21 March 2025. <a href="https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/99171#page/271/mode/1up" target="_blank">https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/99171#page/271/mode/1up</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Cuvier, Georges; Latreille, Pierre André (1829–1830). Le règne animal distribué d'après son organisation, pour servir de base à l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction à l'anatomie comparée (in French) (Nouvelle édition rev. et aug. ed.). Paris: Paris Chez Déterville. pp. 249–254. Retrieved 21 March 2025. <a href="https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/99171#page/271/mode/1up" target="_blank">https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/99171#page/271/mode/1up</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Cuvier, Georges; Griffith, Edward; Smith, Charles Hamilton (1827–1835). The CLASS PISCES: arranged by the Baron Cuvier, with supplementary additions. The animal kingdom : arranged in conformity with its organization / Alternative: Classified index and synopsis of the animal kingdom Uniform: Règne animal (Translation, with additions, of: Le règne animal.)) (the First ed.). London: for G.B. Whittaker. pp. 245–250. Retrieved 22 March 2025. <a href="https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/17704#page/333/mode/1up" target="_blank">https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/17704#page/333/mode/1up</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Cuvier, Georges; McMurtrie, Henry (1831). The animal kingdom : arranged in conformity with its organization (the First ed.). New York: G. & C. & H. Carvill. pp. 183–186. 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