Frogfish and Dragonets Codexery

Rhycherus

A genus of Australian endemic frogfishes with ragged appearance.

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Rhycherus is a genus of anglerfishes first proposed in 1907 by James Douglas Ogilby.[1] Rhycherus currently contains two recognized species: R. filamentosus and R. gloveri.[2]

Scientific classification

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

Named by J. D. Ogilby, 1907

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

Biology and range

Their second and third dorsal spines are not hidden under the skin.[3] Algal-covered rocky reefs down to roughly 150 m deep are the habitat for both species.[4][5] Reproduction in these fish involves laying eggs.[6] Large demersal eggs are produced by females, with each egg fastened to a rock surface by an extended filament.[6][7]

These fish are ambush predators, employing their illicium or esca to attract prey, just as other anglerfishes do.[6] Instead of dermal denticles, the skin is smooth and covered with numerous, densely packed cutaneous appendages.[3]

What the specialist sources record

The Fishes of Australia account notes that R. filamentosus has a long illicium (16.7–31.6% SL), while R. gloveri has a shorter one (9.9–17.6% SL).[7][5] The esca of R. filamentosus consists of a pair of large tapering worm-like appendages with a low broad medial flap.[7] The esca of R. gloveri consists of a single tapering appendage bearing short filaments within a V-shaped depression.[5] The World Register of Marine Species places Rhycherus in the family Rhycheridae.[8]

GBIF lists Rhycherus under the family Antennariidae and holds 294 occurrence records for the genus.[9] Only the basal quarter to one-third of the third dorsal spine is attached to the nape by a membrane; the rest of that spine is free.[3]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Rhycherus" (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", Copei; ; "Fishes of the World", John Wiley & Sons, 2016, p. 508–518 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Rhycherus" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Rhycherus" (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", Copei; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Rhycherus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bray, D.J., "Rhycherus filamentosus", Fishes of Australia, 2021; Bray, D.J., "Rhycherus gloveri", Fishes of Australia, 2019; Bray, D.J., "Rhycherus filamentosus", Fishes of Australia, 2021; Bray, D.J., "Rhycherus gloveri", Fishes of Australia, 2019 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Bray, D.J., "Rhycherus gloveri", Fishes of Australia, 2019. facts only, no text reused. fishesofaustralia.net.au
  6. Wikipedia, "Rhycherus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bray, D.J., "Rhycherus filamentosus", Fishes of Australia, 2021 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Bray, D.J., "Rhycherus filamentosus", Fishes of Australia, 2021. facts only, no text reused. fishesofaustralia.net.au
  8. World Register of Marine Species, Rhycherus (AphiaID 270751). CC BY 4.0. marinespecies.org
  9. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Rhycherus (taxon key 2414688). 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 Rhycherus (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.

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