Antennarius biocellatus
A euryhaline frogfish with twin ocelli and a lure on its snout.
Last updated
Joseph Stansbury Rosin · via Wikipedia: Antennarius biocellatus · CC0
Antennarius biocellatus, known as the brackish water frogfish, brackish water anglerfish, freshwater frogfish, twinspot frogfish, or fishing frog, is a species of euryhaline ray-finned fish belonging to the family Antennariidae. It is notable for being a euryhaline species found in the Western Pacific Ocean, capable of entering freshwater, and for its distinctive twin ocelli.
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassActinopterygii
- DivisionTeleostei
- OrderLophiiformes
- FamilyAntennariidae
- GenusAntennarius
- SpeciesAntennarius biocellatus
Named by Cuvier, 1817
Close relatives
Other species of Antennarius with a Codexery entry.
- Antennarius commerson Antennarius commerson
- Antennarius indicus Antennarius indicus
- Antennarius pauciradiatus Antennarius pauciradiatus
- Antennarius pictus Antennarius pictus
- Antennarius scaber Antennarius scaber
- Leopard frogfish Antennarius pardalis
- Longlure frogfish Antennarius multiocellatus
- Randall's frogfish Antennarius randalli
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Antennarius biocellatus (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 217844 (CC BY 4.0)
Conservation status
Data Deficient (DD)
Data Deficient: there is not enough information to place this species on the risk scale.
Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category
How big is it?
Largest length in the source, 0.14 m, next to a 1.8 m person.
Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Antennarius biocellatus
Background
Antennarius biocellatus was first formally described in 1817 by French zoologist Georges Cuvier under the name Chironectes biocellatus, though the type locality is not known. Within the genus Antennarius, this species is a sister taxon to all others. The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the genus Antennarius in the family Antennariidae within the suborder Antennarioidei of the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes.
The genus name Antennarius suffixes -ius to antenna, alluding to the first dorsal spine being adapted into a tentacle on the snout used as a lure. The specific name biocellatus means 'two little eyes,' referring to two ocelli: one on the rear of the base of the dorsal fin, and another (not always present) on the caudal peduncle.
This species has a second dorsal spine longer than the first, and the illicium is tipped with a small esca. The second dorsal spine is not connected to the head by a membrane. The ocellus at the rear of the dorsal fin base is surrounded by a thin pale yellow, black-margined ring. The body is deep and slightly compressed.
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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: Antennarius biocellatus (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; order, family and genus checked against WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List assessment.
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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