Frogfish and Dragonets Codexery

Abantennarius drombus

A cryptic Hawaiian frogfish known from few observations.

Last updated

Abantennarius drombus, commonly known as the freckled frogfish or Hawaiian freckled frogfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and surrounding waters in the western central Pacific Ocean, including Johnston Atoll and Midway Atoll. Due to its expertise in camouflage and small range, there have been few instances of observation and study, so much of its description is inferred from order, family, and genus information.

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassActinopterygii
  4. DivisionTeleostei
  5. OrderLophiiformes
  6. FamilyAntennariidae
  7. GenusAbantennarius
  8. SpeciesAbantennarius drombus

Named by (D.S. Jordan and Evermann, 1903)

Close relatives

Other species of Abantennarius with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Abantennarius drombus (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 1605261 (CC BY 4.0)

Conservation status

Least Concern (LC)

  1. LC▲ this species
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2022

Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category

How big is it?

Size comparison: Abantennarius drombus and a personA 0.12 m long abantennarius drombus drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.0.12 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 0.12 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Abantennarius drombus

Background

The freckled frogfish was first formally described in 1903 and originally classified with Antennarius coccineus by American ichthyologists David Starr Jordan and Barton Warren Evermann, with its type locality given as Waikiki on Oahu in Hawaii. It was later re-identified by Norton Chang of the Waikiki Aquarium using literature by Pietsch and Grobecker and Tinker's Fishes of Hawaii. The key difference between A. coccineus and A. drombus is the number of pectoral fin rays: A. drombus has 12, while A. coccineus has 10.

Additional distinguishing characteristics include the color of the esca and the abundance of small dark blotches on the body and fins. In 1987, Pietsch and Grobecker synonymized A. drombus with A. coccineus, but it has subsequently been regarded as a valid species. The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classified Abantennarius in the family Antennariidae within the suborder Antennarioidei, nested in the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes.

The fish is found in shallow waters on coral and rocky reefs, dwelling at the bottom of spur and groove habitats. Its coloration varies from brown to reddish brown or gray, typically marked with small dark blotches—the 'freckles' that give it its common name—which are especially obvious on the fins. The illicium (modified first dorsal spine) is about the same length as the second dorsal spine, and the second dorsal fin is not connected to the head with a membrane.

There is no caudal peduncle. The esca is not white, unlike in A. coccineus where it is white. The body shape and fin composition measure this species' standard length to be roughly 12 cm.

Did You Know?

Related entries

Same family (Antennariidae)

Antennarius biocellatus Antennarius biocellatusAntennarius commerson Antennarius commersonAntennarius indicus Antennarius indicusAntennarius pauciradiatus Antennarius pauciradiatusAntennarius pictus Antennarius pictusAntennarius scaber Antennarius scaber

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Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. In what year was Abantennarius drombus first scientifically described?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1903.

From the source: “Abantennarius drombus was first formally described in 1903.”

2. Who first scientifically described the Abantennarius drombus?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is David Starr Jordan.

From the source: “This fish was originally classified with Antennarius coccineus, or the scarlet frogfish, by the American ichthyologists David Starr Jordan and Barton Warren Evermann with its type locality given a Waikiki on Oahu in Hawaii.”

3. To which biological order does the Abantennarius drombus belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Lophiiformes.

From the source: “The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classified Abantennarius in the family Antennariidae within the suborder Antennarioidei, which is further nested in the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes.”

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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