Echinophryne
A genus of spiny-skinned frogfishes endemic to Australian waters.
Echinophryne is a genus of small, marine ray-finned fish found only in Australian waters. These anglerfishes belong to the frogfish family, Antennariidae, though some classifications place them in the separate family Histiophrynidae. The genus was established in 1918 by Australian ichthyologists Allan Riverstone McCulloch and Edgar Ravenswood Waite, who designated the newly described species *Echinophryne crassispina* as the type species. The name *Echinophryne* combines the Greek *echinos* ("spiny")—referring to the skin of the type species, which is thickly covered with large, upright, forked spinules—with *phryne* ("toad"), a common suffix for anglerfish genera that may date back to Aristotle and Cicero, who called these fish "fishing-frogs" and "sea-frogs" due to their toad-like appearance.
Three species are recognized: *E. crassispina* (prickly anglerfish), *E. mitchellii* (long-spined anglerfish), and *E. reynoldsi* (sponge anglerfish). Their second and third dorsal spines are free from the skin, and the rough skin is densely covered in denticles. They have a caudal peduncle, and the rear edges of the dorsal and anal fins attach to this peduncle ahead of the caudal fin base. The illicium (the fishing rod) is covered in closely set denticles and lacks a bulbous lure (esca). The largest species, the long-spined anglerfish, reaches a maximum published standard length of 11.1 cm.
These fish are endemic to southern Australia, ranging from King George Sound in Western Australia to Jervis Bay in New South Wales, including Tasmania. They inhabit rocky reefs, often under rocks, ledges, or around jetties (prickly anglerfish), or in association with sponges (sponge anglerfish), and are found at depths up to 70 meters.
- Genus authority
- Allan Riverstone McCulloch and Edgar Ravenswood Waite, 1918
- Type species
- Echinophryne crassispina
- Number of species
- 3
- Maximum standard length
- 11.1 cm (4.4 in)
- Depth range
- up to 70 m (230 ft)
- Distribution
- southern coasts of Australia from King George Sound (Western Australia) to Jervis Bay (New South Wales), including Tasmania
Lore & Background
The genus Echinophryne was first proposed in 1918 by Australian ichthyologists Allan Riverstone McCulloch and Edgar Ravenswood Waite, with Echinophryne crassispina as the type species and initially its only species. The name combines echinos, meaning 'spiny', referring to the skin described as 'thickly beset with large, upstanding, bifurcate spinules', and phryne, meaning 'toad', a common suffix for anglerfish genera possibly dating back to Aristotle and Cicero, who referred to anglerfishes as 'fishing-frogs' and 'sea-frogs' respectively, alluding to their frog- or toad-like appearance.
Echinophryne anglerfishes have the second and third dorsal spines free of the skin and not hidden underneath it. Their rough skin is densely covered in denticles. They possess a caudal peduncle, and the rearmost margins of the dorsal and anal fins are attached to the caudal peduncle in front of the base of the caudal fin. The illicium is covered by closely set denticles and lacks a bulbous lure, or esca. Three species are recognized: Echinophryne crassispina (prickly anglerfish), Echinophryne mitchellii (long-spined anglerfish), and Echinophryne reynoldsi (sponge anglerfish).
Reader's Guide
Echinophryne is notable as a genus of frogfishes endemic to Australian waters, first described in 1918 by McCulloch and Waite. Its taxonomy is subject to some dispute: some authorities place it in the subfamily Histiophryninae within Antennariidae, while others recognize it as part of the family Histiophrynidae. However, the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not recognize subfamilies within Antennariidae, classifying the family within the suborder Antennarioidei of the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes. The genus includes three species, each with distinct habitats: the prickly anglerfish is found on rocky reefs, frequently under rocks, ledges, and around jetties; the sponge anglerfish inhabits rocky reefs where it associates with sponges. They occur as deep as 70 meters. The largest species, the long-spined anglerfish, reaches only 11.1 cm in standard length. The genus name reflects the spiny skin and toad-like appearance, a characteristic shared with many anglerfishes.
Did You Know?
- The skin of the type species was described as 'thickly beset with large, upstanding, bifurcate spinules'.
- The sponge anglerfish (Echinophryne reynoldsi) inhabits rocky reefs where it associates with sponges.
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