Antennarius hispidus
A striped frogfish with a hairy lure and variable color.
The shaggy frogfish (Antennarius hispidus), also called the hispid frogfish, shaggy anglerfish, or zebra anglerfish, is a marine ray-finned fish in the frogfish family Antennariidae. It lives in the Indo-Pacific.
German naturalists Marcus Elieser Bloch and Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider first described it in 1801 as *Lophius hispidus*, with the type location off India’s Coromandel Coast. Within the genus *Antennarius*, it belongs to the *striatus* species group. The 5th edition of *Fishes of the World* places the genus *Antennarius* in the family Antennariidae, suborder Antennarioidei, order Lophiiformes (the anglerfishes).
The genus name *Antennarius* adds the suffix *-ius* to *antenna*, referring to the first dorsal spine being modified into a snout tentacle used as a lure. The specific name *hispidus* means “bristly,” describing the dense covering of tiny spinules on the skin.
The shaggy frogfish reaches up to 20 cm (7.9 in) long. Like other frogfishes, it has a globular, stretchy body and soft skin covered with small dermal spinules. The skin may also have hair-like cutaneous appendages, though not always. Its large, protruding mouth lets it swallow prey as big as itself. Coloration varies greatly because the fish tends to match its surroundings. They can change color and pigment pattern over a few weeks, but the dominant hues range from yellow to brownish-orange, with many shades in between. The body and fins may show roughly parallel dark stripes, some radiating from the eye; the belly lacks stripes.
The first dorsal spine, called the illicium, is modified into a fishing lure. Its tip has a characteristic oval esca made of a tuft of many slender filaments. This lure easily distinguishes *A. hispidus* from *Antennarius striatus*, which looks similar (stripes, coloration, skin appendages) and is often confused with it. The illicium is the same length as the second dorsal spine. The second spine is nearly straight and movable; the third bends toward the back. All three spines are well separated from each other and from the dorsal fin.
Shaggy frogfish occur in tropical coastal waters of the Indian Ocean and the central Indo-Pacific, but are absent from oceanic islands. They inhabit shallow rocky and coral reefs as well as deep muddy habitats, from the surface down to 90 m, with average sightings at 45 m.
Like all frogfishes, *A.
Quick Facts
- Taxon
- Antennarius hispidus
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The shaggy frogfish was first formally described in 1801 as Lophius hispidus by the German naturalists Marcus Elieser Bloch and Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider, with its type locality given as the Coromandel Coast of India. Within the genus Antennarius, it belongs to the striatus species group. The genus name Antennarius alludes to the first dorsal spine being adapted into a tentacle on the snout used as a lure, while the specific name hispida means 'bristly', referring to the dense covering of spinules on the skin.
This species grows up to 20 cm in length and has a globulous, extensible body with soft skin covered in small dermal spinules. Its skin may also bear cutaneous appendages resembling hairs. The large mouth is prognathous, allowing it to swallow prey as large as itself. Coloration is extremely variable, as the fish tends to match its living environment, with dominant colors ranging from yellow to brownish-orange. The body and fins may have roughly parallel dark stripes, some radiating from the eye, but the belly is free of stripes. The first dorsal spine, or illicium, is modified into a fishing lure with an oval esca composed of a tuft of slender filaments. This lure distinguishes A. hispidus from the similar Antennarius striatus. The illicium is the same length as the second dorsal spine, which is straight and mobile, while the third spine is bent backward; all are well separated from each other and from the dorsal fin.
Reader's Guide
The shaggy frogfish is a notable member of the frogfish family due to its distinctive lure and its ability to change color over a few weeks to match its surroundings. Its taxonomy places it within the striatus species group, and it is often confused with Antennarius striatus, from which it can be separated by the structure of its esca. The species inhabits shallow rocky and coral reefs to deep muddy habitats, from the surface to 90 meters deep, with average occurrences at 45 meters. As a voracious carnivore, it gulps down prey up to its own size, including fish and even congeners. Its benthic and solitary lifestyle includes gathering only during mating, after which the male may kill or eat the female if she stays close. The shaggy frogfish is found in tropical coastal waters from the Indian Ocean and the middle of the Indo-Pacific area, but is absent from oceanic islands. Its scientific description by Bloch and Schneider in 1801, with the type locality on the Coromandel Coast of India, provides a historical anchor for its study.
Did You Know?
- The shaggy frogfish can change its color and pigment pattern in a few weeks.
- Its lure (esca) is composed of a tuft of slender filaments, distinguishing it from the similar Antennarius striatus.
- The male may kill or eat the female after mating if she stays close.
- It can swallow prey as large as itself due to its large, prognathous mouth.
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