Reef Fish
Frogfish
Antennariidae · Bony fish, family Antennariidae (frogfishes, order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes); family-level overview of roughly 50 species
Finding the frogfish is the dive. Some fifty species of these globular anglerfishes sit motionless for days impersonating sponges, tunicates, algae-covered rock, or, in the hairy frogfish's case, a tuft of drifting weed, and even hand-sized individuals vanish against the right background. The first dorsal spine has evolved into a fishing rod tipped with a lure, a wriggling worm shape in some species and a shrimp shape in others, twitched above the mouth to call prey in. The strike is among the fastest feeding movements measured in fishes, the mouth ballooning open in a few milliseconds to inhale fish nearly the hunter's own length. Frogfishes walk rather than swim, ambling on limb-like pectoral fins. Muck guides track individuals for weeks, so ask what the site is holding.
Dónde y cuándo ver uno
"Residente" significa que la mayoría de las inmersiones en ese destino tienen encuentros con ellos; "estacional" significa que su presencia es fiable en los meses indicados; cualquier otra cosa es un extra, no algo con lo que contar.
| Destino | Fiabilidad | Meses | Notas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bali & Nusa PenidaIndonesia | Resident: seen on most dives | Todo el año | |
| Lembeh StraitIndonesia | Resident: seen on most dives | Todo el año | |
| AnilaoPhilippines | Resident: seen on most dives | Todo el año | |
| Banda Sea & AmbonIndonesia | Resident: seen on most dives | Todo el año | |
| Dumaguete, Dauin & Apo IslandPhilippines | Resident: seen on most dives | Todo el año | |
| BonaireBonaire | Occasional | Todo el año |
El mejor mes, de un vistazo
Comprendiéndolos
Hábitat: Sponges, rubble, wreck surfaces, jetty piles, and weed on both muck slopes and coral reefs; the sargassumfish drifts at the surface in floating weed.
Rango: Warm seas worldwide; greatest variety in the Coral Triangle, with the longlure frogfish standing in across the Caribbean.
Comportamiento: Sits motionless for days matching a sponge or weed tuft, twitching a modified dorsal-spine fishing rod and lure above the mouth; walks on limb-like pectoral fins rather than swimming.
Dieta: Fishes and crustaceans lured within range and inhaled whole, including prey nearly the frogfish's own length.
Tamaño: normalmente alrededor de 0.1 m; documentado hasta 0.4 m (family range in total length; most diver-found species run 5–20 cm, the giant frogfish to about 40 cm).
Cómo comportarse cerca de uno
Never move a frogfish or its perch for a cleaner shot, and skip repeated strobe volleys at close range; a relocated ambusher loses its hunting spot.
Conservación
Few species have been formally assessed; the practical threats are habitat loss on muck coastlines and collection for aquaria.
Puntos conocidos por avistamientos
Los puntos destacados fueron registrados para esta especie por nuestros editores; los números son registros de ocurrencia de GBIF anotados en un radio de unos 5 km de un punto desde 1990.
Ver
Desde los canales oficiales
Wildlife of Monterey | New film in our auditorium
Live Aviary Cam | Monterey Bay Aquarium
Live Aviary Cam | Monterey Bay Aquarium
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