Abantennarius analis

Lore & Background

Abantennarius analis was first formally described in 1957 by the American ichthyologist Leonard Peter Schultz, with its type locality given as Waikiki Reef off Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands. The genus name Abantennarius prefixes ab, meaning 'away from', onto antennarius, a fish of the family Antennariidae, alluding to the gill opening being positioned away from the base of the pectoral fin. The specific name analis means 'anal', an allusion to the gill opening being located near the base of the anal fin.

The tailjet frogfish has three dorsal spines, and its illicium is double the length of the second dorsal spine, with an elongated esca bearing filamentous appendages and dark swellings at its base. The gill openings are located quite far back next to the base of the anal fin, and it lacks a caudal peduncle. The rear parts of the dorsal and anal fin are connected to the caudal fin by a membrane. The pectoral fins are prehensile with an elbow-like joint, and the skin has a dense covering of forked spines. Its overall colour is mottled light grey with a yellowish hue on the fins.

This species is associated with reefs at depths between 2 and 21 m, where it shelters in tidal pools, among rubble, and in crevices. It is a gonochoristic species with external fertilisation; females lay 1 mm diameter eggs in a pelagic raft containing thousands of eggs within a gelatinous mass that floats. It is an ambush predator, using the first dorsal spine to lure prey within striking range, and can vary its colour and pattern to camouflage itself with the environment.

Reader's Guide

The tailjet frogfish is notable for its distinctive gill opening placement, which is located far back near the base of the anal fin rather than near the pectoral fin base as in most frogfishes. This anatomical feature is reflected in both its genus and species names. The species was described by Leonard Peter Schultz in 1957 from a specimen collected at Waikiki Reef, Hawaii. Its maximum recorded standard length is 7.8 cm, making it a relatively small frogfish. The fish inhabits reef environments in the eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans, ranging from Cartier Island and Christmas Island north to the Ryukyu Islands and east to the Society Islands and Hawaii. Its biology includes external fertilisation, pelagic egg rafts, and ambush predation using a modified first dorsal spine as a lure. The ability to change colour and pattern aids in camouflage. The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies Abantennarius in the family Antennariidae within the suborder Antennarioidei of the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes.

Did You Know?

• The gill opening of Abantennarius analis is located near the base of the anal fin, not near the pectoral fin base as in most frogfishes.
• The species was first described in 1957 by American ichthyologist Leonard Peter Schultz from a specimen collected at Waikiki Reef, Oahu, Hawaii.
• Females lay eggs in a pelagic raft containing thousands of 1 mm eggs within a gelatinous mass that floats.