Fowlerichthys radiosus

Fowlerichthys radiosus, also called the singlespot frogfish or big-eyed frogfish, is a marine ray-finned fish in the family Antennariidae. It lives in the Western Atlantic Ocean. The species was first described in 1869 by American zoologist Samuel Garman as Antennarius radiosus, with the type location off Key West, Florida. In 1941, Thomas Barbour described a new species, Fowlerichthys floridanus, from off Palm Beach, Florida, placing it in a new genus, Fowlerichthys, and making it the type species.

Etymology

Today, F. floridanus is considered a junior synonym of Antennarius radiosus. The 5th edition of Fishes of the World places the genus Fowlerichthys in the family Antennariidae, suborder Antennarioidei, order Lophiiformes (the anglerfishes). The genus name Fowlerichthys honors American ichthyologist Henry Weed Fowler, who gave Barbour the type specimen of F. floridanus, combined with ichthys (Greek for fish). The specific name radiosus means "rayed," referring to the illicium (first dorsal spine) being twice as long as that of the presumed relative Antennarius tigris.

Description

The body is somewhat compressed and globose, with large eyes on the sides of the head and a large, upward-pointing mouth lined with many small teeth. The small gill openings sit behind and below the base of the pectoral fin, which is limb-like with an elbow-like joint and a broad connection to the body. There are three dorsal spines; the first (the illicium) is about as long as the second and topped with a small, folded oval esca. The second dorsal spine is not very curved and is connected to the head skin by a membrane.

The third dorsal spine is movable and not connected to the head skin. The dorsal fin has 13 soft rays, and the anal fin has 9 soft rays. There is a caudal peduncle, and the rear edges of the dorsal and anal fins are not connected to the caudal fin. The skin is densely covered with bifurcated spicules.

Coloration ranges from brown to beige, with the anal, caudal, and dorsal fins sometimes barred. The illicium usually has pale bands. A single large ocellus appears on the upper body and the base of the dorsal fin, and short dark lines radiate from the eye. FishBase gives the maximum published standard length as 9.4 cm (3.7 in), while the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute reports a maximum length of 25 cm (9.8 in).