Scarlet frogfish (Abantennarius coccineus)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Teleostei · Order: Lophiiformes · Family: Antennariidae · Genus: Abantennarius.

Accepted name: Abantennarius coccineus · Authority: (Lesson, 1831) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 1605256.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Abantennarius neocaledoniensis Le Danois, 1964; Antennarius coccineus (Lesson, 1831); Antennarius immaculatus Le Danois, 1970; Antennarius leucus Fowler, 1934; Antennarius moai Allen, 1970; Antennarius stigmaticus Ogilby, 1912; Antennatus coccineus (Lesson, 1831); Chironectes coccineus Lesson, 1831.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1605256 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

Measured values published by FishBase for Abantennarius coccineus. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 13 cm · Depth range: 10–75 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Fishery importance: of no interest · Aquarium trade: commercial.

FishBase notes: Collected from tide pools as well as lagoon and seaward reefs (Ref. 1602); secretive among rocks and sponges (Ref. 48635). Feeds on small fishes (Ref. 89972).

Benthic (Ref. 58302). Oviparous. Eggs are bound in ribbon-like sheath or mass of gelatinous mucus called 'egg raft' or 'veil' (Ref. 6773). Found among reef crevices or among rubble in 1-75 m, but usually less than 10 m (Ref 90102).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 5402) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Abantennarius-coccineus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

41 georeferenced occurrence records for Abantennarius coccineus are published through GBIF from 13 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 20 distinct locations from a sample of 41 records, omitting 5 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.

Most records by country or area: Australia (7); Indonesia (7); French Polynesia (7); Israel (5); Costa Rica (3); Philippines (3); Wallis and Futuna (3); United Arab Emirates (1); France (1); Malaysia (1); Réunion (1); Seychelles (1); Tanzania, United Republic of (1).

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 11954282) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=11954282&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1605256 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Abantennarius coccineus (Lesson, 1831) as Least Concern (code LC). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.

Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 67968479) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/67968479/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 11954282) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/11954282/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Abantennarius coccineus was originally classified as Chironectes coccineus by René Primevère Lesson in 1831. Lesson then went on to reclassify it as Antennarius coccineus in the same year. David Starr Jordan and Barton W. Evermann synonymised Antennatus coccineus (Antennarius coccineus at the time) with Antennatus drombus (Antennarius drombus at the time) in 1904, however it has since been separated due to the differences in the number of pectoral rays, varying colours of the esca and the abundance of small dark blotches on the body and fins.

Antennarius coccineus was incorrectly named Antennarius nexilis by John Otterbein Snyder in 1904, followed by Antennarius stigmaticus by James Douglas Ogilby in 1912, and then Antennarius leucus by Henry W. Fowler in 1934. This was then followed by Abantennarius neocaledoniensis by Édouard Le Danois in 1964, Antennarius moai by Gerald R. Allen in 1970 and finally incorrectly named Antennarius immaculatus by Le Danoi in 1970. Whilst it has been the topic of numerous name changes since then, Antennarius coccineus was the most common name used up until 2012 when a combination of DNA profiling and Genetic analysis came out with the fish being incorrectly identified as being within the Antennarius genus and it was identified as being in the Antennatus genus. It has since remained named Antennatus coccineus from 2012 onwards.

Behaviour

Similar to all frogfishes, A. coccineus is a voracious carnivore which devours all small prey that enters within its reach. Like other members of the Antennariidae family, it has a solitary and benthic lifestyle, only tolerating each other for the simple act of fertilization. Frogfish express various behaviours when feeling threatened. To prevent attacks, they will either remain as still as possible, using their camouflage to hide or else they will use Batesian Mimicry.

This is where a prey animal will mimic other dangerous species to prevent predators attacking. Antennatus coccineus is known to do this by resting on the seafloor in the way a sea urchin would or else picking up similar behaviours to the poisonous scorpionfish. Once attacked by a predator they use their mouths powerful suction to swell their whole body with water, making it difficult for any predatorial animal to swallow it. A unique behaviour to the family Antennariidae is the unique form of locomotion they have.

Many of the fish in this family, including Abantennarius coccineus, can take water in through the mouth and expel it through gill openings similar to tubes, located behind its pectoral fins. Using powerful exhalation, it can propel itself forward and often does so to help ambush its prey.

Reproduction

The scarlet frogfish only comes together with other frogfish for reproduction purposes during mating seasons. It lives within tropical waters and has a central distribution being around Indo-East-Pacific. Female and male frogfish are physically different, with the female being oviparous. The female frogfish will start producing eggs when she is ready to mate.

The extra mass of eggs inside of her causes her body to bloat, becoming larger and more buoyant with the added air space. This bloating will attract males who see the female as ready to reproduce. Males can follow the female for up to two days before the fertilisation process begins. The male will then nudge the female, with use of her added buoyancy, all the way to the surface where she will then release the eggs to be externally fertilised by the male frogfish.

The eggs come together to form a floating gelatinous spawn or a raft, where they will then stay in the open ocean water until they hatch. The offspring or larvae will remain in this open ocean environment, hidden within plankton for the first one to two months of their life before they migrate to live within the reef. It is here they remain until they reach sexual maturity in which the process restarts. The scarlet frogfish is classified as having high resilience, with its population being able to double in less than one year and 3 months and due to this it is also listed as a non-vulnerable species.

Diet

The scarlet frogfish is an ambush predator. It uses a combination of the esca or the anglerfish lure to draw in its prey and its ability to camouflage in rocks and coral to hide from it. In the sight of its prey, it will stop moving so as not to scare it away. When small marine creatures are drawn to the esca, it will lurch out, expanding its mouth and engulfing its prey by creating suction as its mouth expands.

Frogfish are known to be able to do this extremely fast, almost at 6/1000 of a second. They mainly eat small reef-dwelling fish such as school fish. However, they can also eat small crustaceans that they encounter such as sand crabs and shrimp using their palatal teeth.

Habitat

The scarlet frogfish is a tropical salt-water fish. It lives in reef areas, within epipelagic waters in the open ocean (1–75 m deep). They are more likely to be found in waters less than 10 meters deep and are mainly benthic dwelling fish.

It will only leave the ground to reproducem. The physical characteristics of Abantennarius coccineus such as their colour, patterns and bifurcated spinules allow them to blend in with the reef environment The frogfish uses this to its advantage by hiding amongst the rocks, sponges and coral within the reef to protect itself from predators and to ambush its prey. They are solitary fish and as such prefer to be alone and away from other scarlet frogfish.

The scarlet frogfish is prominent on the East Coast of Africa, Madagascar and the Arabian sea as a native species.

Source: Wikipedia: Abantennarius coccineus — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abantennarius_coccineus (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.