Island frogfish

Lore & Background

Abantennarius bermudensis was first formally described as Antennarius bermudensis in 1957 by the American ichthyologist Leonard Peter Schultz, with its type locality given as Hungry Bay in Paget County, Bermuda. The genus name Abantennarius prefixes ab, meaning 'away from', onto antennarius, alluding to the gill opening being positioned away from the base of the pectoral fin. The specific name bermudensis means 'of Bermuda', referring to the type locality.

The island frogfish has a subglobular body with some lateral compression, a spineless head, and large eyes on its side. Its mouth points upward and is filled with small, sharp teeth. The gill opening is small and round, located under and to the rear of the pectoral fin base. The illicium is shorter than the second dorsal spine and has an elongated, tapering esca with filaments and dark swellings at its base. The second dorsal spine has a marked curve and is not connected to the head by a membrane; the third dorsal spine is also movable and lacks a membrane connection. The pectoral fins are arm-like with an elbow-like joint. The skin is rough due to a dense covering of bifurcated spinules. Coloration is yellow, tan, or brown with brown spots and mottles, sometimes forming irregular bars across the caudal fin. A dark eyespot appears on the upper body beneath the center of the second dorsal fin, and there may be 0 to 7 dark bars radiating from the eye.

Reader's Guide

The island frogfish is an ambush predator that crawls slowly along the substrate in rocky and coral reefs. It uses its illicium and esca to lure smaller fishes to within striking range of its mouth. Females are thought to lay more than 10,000 eggs. The species is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean from Bermuda in the north, around the Bahamas, off northwestern Cuba, in the Gulf of Mexico from the Arrowsmith Bank off Mexico to Cuba, and around the islands of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. It also occurs off the northern coast of South America from Colombia to Tobago. The island frogfish is associated with reefs in waters between 4 and 30 m in depth. Despite these observations, the biology and ecology of the island frogfish are poorly known. Its significance lies in its specialized predatory adaptations and its distribution across a range of Western Atlantic reef habitats, though much remains to be studied about its life history and behavior.

Did You Know?

• The island frogfish was first described in 1957 by American ichthyologist Leonard Peter Schultz.
• Its specific name bermudensis means 'of Bermuda', the type locality.
• The gill opening is positioned away from the base of the pectoral fin, unlike in most frogfishes.