Frogfish and Dragonets Codexery

Fowlerichthys

A genus of frogfishes forming its own subfamily, Fowlerichthyinae.

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Fowlerichthys

Nick Hobgood · via Wikipedia: Fowlerichthys · CC BY-SA 3.0

The genus was first proposed in 1941 by American zoologist Thomas Barbour.[1] The Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans are home to these frogfishes.[2]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassActinopterygii
  4. DivisionTeleostei
  5. OrderLophiiformes
  6. FamilyAntennariidae
  7. GenusFowlerichthys

Named by T. Barbour, 1941

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Fowlerichthys (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Quick Facts

First described
1941 by Thomas Barbour
Type species
Fowlerichthys floridanus (now a junior synonym of Antennarius radiosus)
Number of extant species
5
Largest species
Fowlerichthys ocellatus (maximum total length 38 cm / 1 ft 3 in)
Smallest species
Fowlerichthys radiosus (maximum length 25 cm / 9.84 in)
Fossil relative
†Neilpeartia (Early Eocene, Monte Bolca, Italy)
Fossil species
†Fowlerichthys monodi (Late Miocene, Algeria)

Facts from the source article.

Biology and range

Their eyes are placed on the sides of the head, and they have an upwardly pointing mouth with many small teeth.[3][4] Two species occur in the Western Atlantic, one in the Eastern Atlantic, one in the Indo-West Pacific, and one in the Eastern Pacific.[5] These fish typically inhabit rocky and reef habitats, often in the intertidal zone, and sometimes on sandy or muddy bottoms.[5] The ocellated frogfish (F. ocellatus) is the largest species, attaining a maximum total length of 38 cm.[6]

At a maximum length of 25 cm, the singlespot frogfish (F. radiosus) is the smallest species.[6]

What the specialist sources record

The World Register of Marine Species accepts Fowlerichthys as a genus in the family Antennariidae, order Lophiiformes.[7] GBIF holds 17,831 occurrence records for this genus as of October 2026.[8] The Shorefishes of the Eastern Pacific account notes the third dorsal spine is movable and not bound down by skin.[4] That same account describes the pelvic fins as short, with all five rays branched, and the skin as rough with close-set, double-pointed spicules.[4]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Fowlerichthys" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Fowlerichthys" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Fricke, "ESCHMEYER'S CATALOG OF FISHES: CLASSIFICATION", California Academy of Sciences, 2025 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Fowlerichthys" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Genus: Fowlerichthys, Frogfishes", Shorefishes of the Eastern Pacific online information system (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. "Genus: Fowlerichthys, Frogfishes", Shorefishes of the Eastern Pacific online information system. facts only, no text reused. biogeodb.stri.si.edu
  5. Wikipedia, "Fowlerichthys" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; ; ; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Fowlerichthys" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Theodore W Pietsch, "Coastal Fishes of the Western Indian Ocean", South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, 2022, p. 281–307; ; "Genus: Fowlerichthys, Frogfishes", Shorefishes of the Eastern Pacific online information system (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. World Register of Marine Species, Fowlerichthys (AphiaID 296648). CC BY 4.0. marinespecies.org
  8. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Fowlerichthys (taxon key 2414512). 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 Fowlerichthys (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

Named in this entry

ActinopterygiiFowlerichthys radiosus

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Test yourself

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

1. To which biological order does the Fowlerichthys belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Lophiiformes.

2. To which biological family does the Fowlerichthys belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Antennariidae.

3. In what year was Fowlerichthys first scientifically described?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1941.

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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