Spotfin frogfish (Abantennarius nummifer)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Abantennarius nummifer · Authority: (Cuvier, 1817) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 1605260.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Antennarius japonicus Schultz, 1964; Antennarius mummifer (Cuvier, 1817); Antennarius nummifer (Cuvier, 1817); Antennarius sanguifluus Jordan, 1902; Antennatus nummifer (Cuvier, 1817); Chironectes bicornis Lowe, 1839; Chironectes chlorostygma Valenciennes, 1837; Chironectes nummifer Cuvier, 1817.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1605260 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 13 cm · Depth range: 0–293 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Fishery importance: of no interest · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

FishBase notes: Sedentary (Ref. 68964). Inhabit intertidal zone to depths of at least 25 m on both lagoon and seaward reefs. May be taken anywhere from the surface to approximately 176 m in the Indo-Pacific area, average depth of known captures at 19 m. Those from Eastern Atlantic at deeper waters, between 44 and 293 m, average depth of 107 m. In life, its esca resembles a tiny stout-bodied shrimp (Ref. 37816). Benthic (Ref. 58302). Oviparous. Eggs are bound in ribbon-like sheath or mass of gelatinous mucus called 'egg raft' or 'veil' (Ref. 6773). Voracious carnivore, attracting prey with front of their cavernous mouth by wriggling their baitshaped first dorsal spine (lure) (Ref. 68964).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 5403) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Abantennarius-nummifer.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

59 georeferenced occurrence records for Abantennarius nummifer are published through GBIF from 15 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 32 distinct locations from a sample of 59 records, omitting 3 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: Philippines (14); Australia (10); Indonesia (8); Hong Kong (7); Spain (5); Singapore (4); South Africa (3); Korea, Republic of (1); Marshall Islands (1); Malaysia (1); New Zealand (1); Oman (1); French Polynesia (1); Papua New Guinea (1); Réunion (1).

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 12160489) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=12160489&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1605260 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Abantennarius nummifer (Cuvier, 1817) 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 67968894) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/67968894/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 12160489) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/12160489/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

The spotfin frogfish was first formally described as Chironectes nummifer by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier with its type locality being unknown. 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.

The spotfin frogfish has the genus name Abantennarius which prefixes ab, meaning "away from", onto antennarius, a fish of the family Antennaridae. This is an allusion 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 nummifer is a compound of nummis, meaning "coin", and fero, which means "to bear". This is an allusion to the large brown spot on the second dorsal fin.

The spotfin frogfish has 3 dorsal spines and a second dorsal fin which contains 12 or 13 soft rays while the anal fin contains 7 or 8 soft rays. The iliicium is about the same length as the second dorsal spine and bears an esca is bulb shaped with filaments running from it and it resembles a fat shrimp. It has a caudal peduncle and the rear of the dorsal and anal fins are connected to the outer rays of the caudal fin by a membrane. The skin has no scales but is densely covered forked spinules. The pectoral fins are prehensile, have an elbow-like joint and have the gill opening on or near their base. The overall colour may be yellow, rusty, pink or red with a brown or reddish brown head, fading to brown or greenish brown on the body and fines. There is a scattering of irregular, greenish white blotches over the whole body. The base of the second dorsal fin almost always has a dark spot surrounded by an indistinct greenish ring. This species has a maximum total length of 13 cm.

The spotfin frogfish is found in the eastern and central Atlantic Ocean where it has been recorded from the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands and Saint Helena. In the Indian Ocean it has been recorded from the Red Sea south to Aliwal Shoal in South Africa, Madagascar, Mascarenes, Seychelles, Maldives, the Persian Gulf east to the Society Islands and Hawaiian Islands, south to Australia and northern New Zealand and north to Japan. It is associated with reefs and is found as deep as 293 m, although it is typically found as depths of less than 20 m, with the Atlantic populations in deeper waters than those in the Pacific. t can be found in the intertidal zone on reefs in lagoons and on seaward reefs.

The spotfin frogfish is oviparous, the females laying egg masses within ribbons of gelatinous mucus, known as an "egg rafts" or "veils". An egg raft laid in captivity was found estimated to hold 48,000 eggs. The larvae are planktonic and settle onto the reef after 1 or 2 months. It is piscivorous, attracting prey to within striking range of the mouth with its shrimp-like esca.

Source: Wikipedia: Spotfin frogfish — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotfin_frogfish (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.