Frogfish and Dragonets Codexery

Abantennarius sanguineus

A small, variable-colored frogfish with a built-in fishing lure.

Last updated

Abantennarius sanguineus

Alberto Alcalá · via Wikipedia: Abantennarius sanguineus · CC BY 4.0

Its body color is variable, ranging from yellow to brown or purple, despite its specific name meaning "blood red"[1] The species was first formally described as Antennarius sanguineus in 1863 by Theodore Gill.[2] The maximum recorded length for Abantennarius sanguineus is 8.2 cm.[3]

Scientific classification

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

Named by (Gill, 1863)

Close relatives

Other species of Abantennarius with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Abantennarius sanguineus (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 1592389 (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
2010

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

How big is it?

Size comparison: Abantennarius sanguineus and a personA 0.08 m long abantennarius sanguineus drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.0.08 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 0.08 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

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

Where the abantennarius sanguineus has been recorded

Where the abantennarius sanguineus has been recorded17 mapped locations from 34 GBIF occurrence records; marked places: Pacific OceanPacific Ocean

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (34 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 8 inland records left out (institution coordinates).

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Biology and range

The first dorsal spine is modified into a fishing rod called the illicium, with a lure-like esca at its tip.[4] It can consume prey close to its own size due to its large, prognathous mouth.[5][6] Abantennarius sanguineus lives in tropical and subtropical waters from the Gulf of California to Chile.[7][8] The species has a benthic and solitary lifestyle, gathering only during mating.[9]

Abantennarius sanguineus possesses a body that is globulous and extensible, with its soft skin coated in small dermal spinules.[3] The esca of Abantennarius sanguineus is composed of a cluster of dark swellings and long filaments, designed to mimic a small fish.[4][8] This species inhabits rocky reef slopes near shelter, at depths reaching up to 40 m, with an average depth of 20 m.[5]

What the specialist sources record

The same source reports that a single female can release up to 300,000 eggs forming a buoyant raft that remains afloat for several days.[10][9] The frogfish guide notes that Abantennarius sanguineus is closely related to Abantennarius bermudensis and Abantennarius coccineus.[8] The esca of Abantennarius sanguineus has long filaments, distinguishing it from Abantennarius coccineus.[8] The World Register of Marine Species lists this species as accepted in the family Antennariidae, order Lophiiformes.[11]

GBIF holds 37 occurrence records for this taxon as of October 2026.[12] According to the specialist source, the currently accepted name Abantennarius sanguineus replaced the former name Antennatus sanguineus in 2012.[8] The Mexican Fish account states that Abantennarius sanguineus is the only species of its genus found in Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean.[10]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Abantennarius sanguineus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Christopher Scharpf, "Order LOPHIIFORMES (part 1): Families LOPHIIDAE, ANTENNARIIDAE, TETRABRACHIIDAE, LOPHICHTHYIDAE, BRACHIONICHTHYIDAE, CHAUNACIDAE and OGCOCEPHALIDAE", The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Abantennarius sanguineus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; "Fishes of the World", John Wiley & Sons, 2016, p. 508–518 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Abantennarius sanguineus" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Abantennarius sanguineus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Antennatus sanguineus - Antennarius sanguineus (Bloody frogfish, Sanguine frogfish - "Blutiger" Anglerfisch) - Frogfish / Anglerfisch: Identification key, behavior, range, habitat, photos / Bestimmungsschlüssel, Merkmal (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Abantennarius sanguineus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Facts about Bloody Frogfish (Antennatus sanguineus) - Encyclopedia of Life", Eol.org, 2009-05-21 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Abantennarius sanguineus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pietsch & Grobecker, Frogfishes of the world, Stanford University Press, 1987, (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Abantennarius sanguineus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Iwamoto, T., "Antennatus sanguineus", 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. "Antennatus sanguineus - Antennarius sanguineus (Bloody frogfish, Sanguine frogfish - "Blutiger" Anglerfisch) - Frogfish / Anglerfisch: Identification key, behavior, range, habitat, photos / Bestimmungsschlüssel, Merkmal. facts only, no text reused. frogfish.ch
  9. Wikipedia, "Abantennarius sanguineus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pietsch & Grobecker, Frogfishes of the world, Stanford University Press, 1987,; "Sanguine Frogfish, Abantennarius sanguineus", Mexican Fish (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  10. "Sanguine Frogfish, Abantennarius sanguineus", Mexican Fish. facts only, no text reused. mexican-fish.com
  11. World Register of Marine Species, Abantennarius sanguineus (AphiaID 1592389). CC BY 4.0. marinespecies.org
  12. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Abantennarius sanguineus (taxon key 12047014). CC BY 4.0 (backbone); counts are facts. gbif.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Abantennarius sanguineus (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Same family (Antennariidae)

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

Named in this entry

Actinopterygii

More in Frogfish

FrogfishAbantennariusAntennariusFowlerichthysSargassum fishNudiantennariusRhycherinaeAbantennarius analisAbantennarius bermudensisAbantennarius coccineusAbantennarius dorehensisAbantennarius drombus

Elsewhere in Frogfish and Dragonets

Callionymidae · DragonetsOcellated dragonet · DragonetsSynchiropus monacanthus · DragonetsSynchiropus phaeton · DragonetsPicturesque dragonet · DragonetsSynchiropus splendidus · Dragonets

Test yourself

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

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

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1863.

2. To which biological order does the Abantennarius sanguineus belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Lophiiformes.

3. Who first scientifically described the Abantennarius sanguineus?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Theodore Gill.

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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