Order

Lophiiformes

  Class

Actinopterygii

No. in FishBase

Genera : 5 | Species : 27 Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes

  Environment

Fresh : No | Brackish : No | Marine : Yes

  Division

Marine

  Aquarium

none

  First Fossil Record

     

  Remark

From Nelson (1994). Distribution: Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and Gulf of Panama. (Ref. 7463) Distinguishing character: Any one of three distinctive characters sufficiently defines members of this family: reduced number of median-fin rays: only 3 (rarely 4) dorsal-fin rays and 3 (rarely 2 or 4) anal-fin rays; reduced number of branchiostegal rays: only 5 (rarely 4); and a peculiar displacement of the vent or anal opening to the left of center (sinistral) in all members of this family (the cause and function unknown); great morphological diversity with the family best addressed by an appreciation of specific and detailed generic accounts; but, other general characteristics include: body of metamorphosed females short to somewhat globular, relatively short snout, large head (usually in excess of 50% SL from snout tip to pectoral-fin base), large mouth (some species may well have the largest mouth of any vertebrate), jaws almost anteriorly equal (in some, the lower jaw just a bit longer than the upper jaw), with a symphysial spine on the lower jaw, well developed sphenotic spines, lacking quadrate and articular spines, the hyomandibular with a single head (feature shared with neoceratiids and gigantactinids), bifurcated opercle with a moderately concave posterior margin, long and thin subopercle lacking a spine or projection on the anterior margin, the preopercle usually bearing one or more prominent spines, the skin is all smooth and naked, lacking dermal spinules; highly variable dentition among genera; the illicial pterygiophore unusually short (anterior end buried under the skin of the head or slightly protruding on the snout), lacking a remnant of the second cephalic spine; length of illicium highly variable among genera (from almost totally embedded to as much as 70% SL); escal morphology also with enormous variations (from simple to highly ornate); bioluminescent hyoid barbel only in Linophryne; the overall color of metamorphosed females usually dark brown to black with the exception of the escal appendages, the distal parts of the escal bulb, the barbel of Linophryne ,and fin rays with the total exclusion of Haplophryne (having no skin pigmentation). Free-living and parasitic males known for all except Acentrophryne; eyes of metamorphosed free-living males relatively large (6 to 9% SL diameter), anteriorly directed and somewhat tubular; olfactory organs inflated and moderately to highly enlarged; variable number of olfactory lamellae among genera from 3 to 13; presence and number of jaw teeth in males also variable among genera; sphenotic spines present in only 2 taxa; hyoid barbel in males absent in all genera; skin naked, lacking dermal spinules; parasitic males with denticular teeth, eyes, and olfactory organs appearing rather degenerated and the belly highly inflated in mature specimens; presence of skin pigmentation in free-living males also variable (from dark brown to black to completely unpigmented). Pectoral-fin rays: 13 to 19, caudal-fin rays: 9 (2 simple + 4 bifurcated + 3 simple). Largest known female measure 27.5 cm; largest known free-living male measure 0.86 cm; largest known parasitic males among the genera range from 0.73 to 3.0 cm. (Ref. 86949)

  Etymology

Greek, 'linon' = flax or anything made of flax such as "cord," "rope," or a "net" + Greek, 'phryne' = toad (refers to a toadlike fish that fishes with a net) (Ref. 86949)

  Reproductive guild

nonguarders

  Typical activity level

  Main Ref

Nelson, J.S. 1994

  Coordinator

  Deep Fin Classification

Osteichthyes | Actinopterygii | Actinopteri | Neopterygii | Teleostei | Osteoglossocephalai | Clupeocephala | Euteleosteomorpha | Neoteleostei | Eurypterygia | Ctenosquamata | Acanthomorphata | Euacanthomorphacea | Percomorphaceae | Percomorpharia | Lophiiformes | Ceratioidei | Linophrynidae