Glauert's anglerfish
A monospecific frogfish genus endemic to southern Australia.
Last updated
Allenichthys is a monotypic genus of anglerfish proposed by Theodore Wells Pietsch III in 1984 for the species Echinophryne glauerti.[1] Glauert's anglerfish, whose maximum recorded total length is 19 cm, is the common name for this species.[2][3] This fish is found only in the temperate marine waters of southern and western Australia.[2][3]
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassActinopterygii
- DivisionTeleostei
- OrderLophiiformes
- FamilyAntennariidae
- GenusAllenichthys
- SpeciesAllenichthys glauerti
Named by (Whitley, 1944)
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Glauert's anglerfish (CC BY-SA 4.0) · differs from this box at family: WoRMS AphiaID 279553 (CC BY 4.0)
How big is it?
Largest length in the source, 0.19 m, next to a 1.8 m person.
Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Glauert's anglerfish
Where the glauert's anglerfish has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (23 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 3 inland records left out (institution coordinates).
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain)
Quick Facts
- Maximum total length
- 19 cm (7.5 in)
- Dorsal soft rays
- 15 or 16
- Anal soft rays
- 8
- Type locality
- Cottesloe Beach, Western Australia
- First described by
- Gilbert Percy Whitley in 1944
Facts from the source article.
Biology and range
The body is short, deep, and compressed, lacking a caudal peduncle.[2][3] The second and third dorsal spines are free, not hidden beneath skin; the second spine is very short and recurved.[2][3] Colour varies from light tan to brown, with dark rings or spots scattered on the body.[2][3] A large head, small eyes, and a big mouth that points upward and contains numerous short, curved-back teeth characterize this fish.[2][3]
The opening for the gills is a tiny hole situated beneath and behind where the pectoral fin attaches.[2][3] On the very tip of the snout originates the first dorsal spine (the illicium), which carries a lure (the esca) that is completely wrapped in thin, hair-like strands.[2][3] Positioned on the nape, the third dorsal spine is joined to the body along its entire rear edge by a thick membrane.[2][3] Bifurcated spinules cover the skin in a thick layer.[2]
Using its illicium and esca to attract prey, this species hunts by ambush.[4][3]
What the specialist sources record
The Fishes of Australia account notes the species is rare and has no tail base.[3] The same source gives fin ray counts: dorsal fin I+I+I, 15–16; anal fin 8; pectoral fin 9–11; pelvic fin 5; caudal fin 9.[3] The specific name likely honors paleontologist Ludwig Glauert or the ladies B. and U. Glauert who collected the holotype.[5] The World Register of Marine Species places Allenichthys glauerti in the family Histiophrynidae.[6]
GBIF records 25 occurrence records for this taxon as of October 2026.[7]
References
- Wikipedia, "Glauert's anglerfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; ; Arnold, R. J., "A new genus and species of the frogfish family Antennariidae (Teleostei: Lophiiformes: Antennarioidei) from New South Wales, Australia, with a diagnosis and key to the genera of the Histiophryninae", Cope; ; "Fishes of the World", John Wiley & Sons, 2016, p. 508–518 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Glauert's anglerfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bray, D.J., "Allenichthys glauerti", Fishes of Australia, 2020; (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Bray, D.J., "Allenichthys glauerti", Fishes of Australia, 2020. facts only, no text reused. fishesofaustralia.net.au
- Wikipedia, "Glauert's anglerfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bray, D.J., "Allenichthys glauerti", Fishes of Australia, 2020 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Glauert's anglerfish" (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 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- World Register of Marine Species, Allenichthys glauerti (AphiaID 279553). CC BY 4.0. marinespecies.org
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Allenichthys glauerti (taxon key 2414514). 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 Glauert's anglerfish (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.
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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.
- Wikipedia: Glauert's anglerfish (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; compare WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Occurrence records: GBIF (CC0 / CC BY). Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain).
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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