Abantennarius duescus

Lore & Background

The side-jet frogfish was first formally described as Antennarius duescus by American ichthyologist John Otterbein Snyder, with its type locality given as between Maui and Lanai in the Hawaiian Islands. In 1957, Leonard Peter Schultz proposed the genus Abantennarius and designated A. duescus as its type species. 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, which is typically where it is located in frogfishes.

The specific name duescus means 'two baits', a reference Snyder did not explain. It is thought that it refers to the possession of two escae: the typical one which is the first dorsal-fin spine, and a thinner second dorsal spine with a club-like structure on its tip which resembles an esca. The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the genus Abantennarius in the family Antennariidae within the suborder Antennarioidei within the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes.

Reader's Guide

Abantennarius duescus holds significance as the type species of the genus Abantennarius, a genus distinguished by the unusual placement of its gill opening away from the pectoral fin base. This anatomical feature is reflected in its genus name and sets it apart from other frogfishes. The species has been recorded from widely scattered locations in the western Pacific Ocean, including Hawaii (Midway and Johnston Atoll), Kakaban, Flores and Komodo islands in Indonesia, Madang and Milne Bay in Papua New Guinea, Ouvéa Island in New Caledonia, and Fiji. It is found at depths between 10 and 137 m, with a mean recorded depth of 23 m, on rocky and coral reefs. The specific name duescus, meaning 'two baits', remains unexplained by Snyder but is thought to refer to the presence of two escae—the typical first dorsal-fin spine and a thinner second dorsal spine with a club-like tip. This species contributes to the understanding of frogfish diversity and the evolutionary adaptations of the Antennariidae family.

Did You Know?

• The specific name duescus means 'two baits', though Snyder did not explain this reference.
• It is the type species of the genus Abantennarius, proposed by Leonard Peter Schultz in 1957.
• It has been recorded at depths from 10 to 137 m, with a mean depth of 23 m.