Frogfish and Dragonets Codexery

Lophiocharon trisignatus

A solitary frogfish with a long illicium and three body spots.

Last updated

John Richardson originally described this anglerfish as Chironectes trisignatus in the work "Ichthyology of the voyage of H.M.S. Erebus & Terror", with the type locality given as Broome, Western Australia.[1] The largest documented standard length for this fish is 14.7 cm, which is greater than that of the other two species in the genus Lophiocharon.[2]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassActinopterygii
  4. DivisionTeleostei
  5. OrderLophiiformes
  6. FamilyAntennariidae
  7. GenusLophiocharon
  8. SpeciesLophiocharon trisignatus

Named by (Richardson, 1844)

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Lophiocharon trisignatus (CC BY-SA 4.0) · differs from this box at family: WoRMS AphiaID 281393 (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
2022

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

How big is it?

Size comparison: Lophiocharon trisignatus and a personA 0.15 m long lophiocharon trisignatus drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.0.15 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 0.15 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

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

Where the lophiocharon trisignatus has been recorded

Where the lophiocharon trisignatus has been recorded27 mapped locations from 115 GBIF occurrence records; marked places: Broome, Western AustraliaBroome, Western Australia

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (115 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 10 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 Fishes of Australia account notes it also lives under wharf pilings or amongst debris and rubble.[3] Anglerfishes are inefficient swimmers and shuffle along the substrate using limb-like pectoral fins.[4] The cluster may contain up to 650 large, spherical eggs each attached by a thread-like loop.[3] The second and third dorsal spines of this fish are not concealed beneath the skin.[5]

A long, bare illicium is present, and it has a large, intricate esca at its tip.[5]

What the specialist sources record

The Western Australian Museum notes the family Antennariidae contains 47 recognised species, with only 3 in the genus Lophiocharon.[4] The ETYFish Project explains the genus name Lophiocharon presumably combines Lophius, a general term for anglerfish, with Charon, the ferryman of the dead.[6] The World Register of Marine Species lists this species under family Histiophrynidae, order Lophiiformes, class Teleostei.[7] GBIF records 151 occurrence records for this taxon as of October 2026.[8]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Lophiocharon trisignatus" (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
  2. Wikipedia, "Lophiocharon trisignatus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Dianne J. Bray, "Lophiocharon trisignatus", Fishes of Australia. facts only, no text reused. fishesofaustralia.net.au
  4. "SPOT-TAIL ANGLERFISH Lophiocharon trisignatus", Western Australian Museum. facts only, no text reused. museum.wa.gov.au
  5. Wikipedia, "Lophiocharon trisignatus" (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 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Christopher Scharpf, "Order LOPHIIFORMES (part 1): Families LOPHIIDAE, ANTENNARIIDAE, TETRABRACHIIDAE, LOPHICHTHYIDAE, BRACHIONICHTHYIDAE, CHAUNACIDAE and OGCOCEPHALIDAE", The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. facts only, no text reused. etyfish.org
  7. World Register of Marine Species, Lophiocharon trisignatus (AphiaID 281393). CC BY 4.0. marinespecies.org
  8. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Lophiocharon trisignatus (taxon key 2414524). 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 Lophiocharon trisignatus (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)

Abantennarius nummifer Abantennarius nummifer

Named in this entry

Actinopterygii

More in Frogfish

FrogfishAbantennariusAntennariusFowlerichthysSargassum fishNudiantennariusRhycherinaeAbantennarius analisAbantennarius bermudensisAbantennarius coccineusAbantennarius dorehensisAbantennarius drombus

Elsewhere in Frogfish and Dragonets

Callionymidae · DragonetsSynchiropus · DragonetsCallionymus belcheri · DragonetsCommon dragonet · DragonetsSpotted dragonet · DragonetsSynchiropus splendidus · Dragonets

Test yourself

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

1. To which biological order does the Lophiocharon trisignatus belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Lophiiformes.

2. Who first scientifically described the Lophiocharon trisignatus?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is John Richardson.

3. To which biological family does the Lophiocharon trisignatus belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Antennariidae.

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.

Spotted an error? Know more?

Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced

Comments

Loading…
Open in the interactive codex →