Sargassum fish

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Sargassum fish
Histrio histrio.jpg
A sargassumfish in sargassum. The fish's eyes are visible in the bottom center of the image
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Lophiiformes
Family: Antennariidae
Subfamily: Antennariinae
Genus: Histrio
G. Fischer, 1813
Species:
H. histrio
Binomial name
Histrio histrio
Synonyms [3]

Genus

List

Species

List
  • Lophius histrio Linnaeus, 1758
  • Antennarius histrio (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Chironectes histrio (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Pterophryne histrio (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Pterophrynoides histrio (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Lophius tumidus Osbeck, 1765
  • Chironectes tumidus (Osbeck, 1765)
  • Pterophryne tumida (Osbeck, 1765)
  • Lophius histrio marmoratus Bloch & Schneider, 1801
  • Lophius laevis Latreille, 1804
  • Lophius raninus Tilesius, 1809
  • Antennarius raninus (Tilesius, 1809)
  • Cheironectes raninus (Tilesius, 1809)
  • Histrio raninus (Tilesius, 1809)
  • Pterophryne ranina (Tilesius, 1809)
  • Lophius cocinsinensis Shaw, 1812
  • Chironectes variegatus Rafinesque, 1814
  • Pterophryne variegatus (Rafinesque, 1814)
  • Lophius gibbus Mitchill, 1815
  • Antennarius gibbus (Mitchill, 1815)
  • Chironectes gibbus (Mitchill, 1815)
  • Histrio gibbus (Mitchill, 1815)
  • Pterophryne gibba (Mitchill, 1815)
  • Pterophrynoides gibbus (Mitchill, 1815)
  • Chironectes laevigatus Cuvier, 1817
  • Antennarius laevigatus (Cuvier, 1817)
  • Lophius laevigatus (Cuvier, 1817)
  • Pterophryne laevigata (Cuvier, 1817)
  • Pterophryne laevigatus (Cuvier, 1817)
  • Lophius calico Mitchill, 1818
  • Lophius geographicus Quoy & Gaimard, 1825
  • Antennarius nitidus Bennett, 1827
  • Chironectes nesogallicus Valenciennes, 1837
  • Antennarius nesogallicus (Valenciennes, 1837)
  • Chironectes pictus Valenciennes, 1837
  • Histrio pictus (Valenciennes, 1837)
  • Pterophryne picta (Valenciennes, 1837)
  • Cheironectes pictus vittatus Richardson, 1844
  • Chironectes arcticus Düben & Koren, 1846
  • Chironectes barbatulus Eydoux & Souleyet, 1850
  • Antennarius barbatulus (Eydoux & Souleyet, 1850)
  • Antennarius lioderma Bleeker, 1864
  • Chironectes sonntagii Müller, 1864
  • Antennarius inops Poey, 1881
  • Histrio jagua Nichols, 1920
  • Lophius pelagicus Banks, 1962

The sargassum fish, anglerfish, or frog fish (Histrio histrio) [4] is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes, the only species in the genus Histrio. It lives among Sargassum seaweed which floats in subtropical oceans. [5] The scientific name comes from the Latin histrio meaning a stage player or actor and refers to the fish's feeding behaviour. [6]

Contents

Taxonomy

The sargassum fish was first formally described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae with its type locality given as the Sargasso Sea. [7] In 1813 Johann Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim proposed a new genus, Histrio, with the Sargassum fish being the type species by tautonymy. [8] The sargassum fish is, with the family Antennariidae, most closely related to the deepwater frogfish ( Nudiantennarius subteres ). [9] Some authorities classify this genus in the subfamily Antennariinae within the family Antennariidae. [10] However, the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not recognise subfamilies within the Antennariidae, classifying the family within the suborder Antennarioidei within the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes. [11]

Etymology

The sargassum fish has a tautonymous binomial, i.e. both the genus name and the specific name are the same. Histrio means "harlequin", an allusion Linnaeus did not explain but he may have been alluding to its gaudy appearance, the head body and fins being marked with streaks, spots and lines in varied colours and pattern and its having appendages on the skin. [12]

Description

Illustration of a sargassum fish Histrio histrio by A. H. Baldwin.jpg
Illustration of a sargassum fish

Histrio histrio, a strange-looking fish, blends well with its surroundings in its seaweed habitat. It is laterally compressed and its length can reach 20 cm (7.9 in). The colour of the body and the large oral cavity is very variable but is usually mottled and spotted yellow, green, and brown on a paler background, and the fins often have several dark streaks or bands. The fish can change colour rapidly, from light to dark and back again. [4] The body and the fins are covered with many weed-like protrusions, but other than these, the skin is smooth without dermal spines. The dorsal fin has three spines and 11–13 soft rays. The front spine is modified into a slender growth on the upper lip known as an illicium, which is tipped by a fleshy lump, the esca. The junction between the head and body is indistinct because no gill slits are present; the gills open as pores near the base of the pectoral fins. [13] The anal fin has no spines and seven to 13 soft rays. The pelvic fins are large and the pectoral fins have 9-11 rays and are stalked and able to grip objects. The outer rays of the tail fin are simple, but the central rays are forked. [4] [3] [14]

Distribution and habitat

The sargassum fish has a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical and subtropical seas down to a depth of around 10 m (33 ft). It is found in parts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Indo-Pacific Ocean, where drifting seaweed accumulates. In the western Atlantic, it ranges from the Gulf of Maine south to Uruguay. It has been reported from northern Norway, but that sighting is likely to be as a result of its having been carried along by the North Atlantic Current. [2] [4] In the Indian Ocean it is found from the Western Cape east through the Mascarenes to India and Sri Lanka and then into the Western Pacific Ocean as far east as the Mariana Islands, south to as far as Perth in Western Australia and New Zealand and north to Hokkaido. [3]

Biology

The sargassum fish is a voracious ambush predator that is also a cannibal. [4] One individual was dissected and found to have 16 juveniles in its stomach. [14] It stalks its prey among the tangled weeds, relying on its cryptic camouflage for concealment. It can clamber through and cling to the seaweed stalks with its prehensile pectoral fins. It dangles its esca as a fishing lure to attract small fish, shrimp, and other invertebrates. It is able to dart forward to grab its prey by expelling water forcibly through its gill openings. It can expand its mouth to many times its original size in a fraction of a second, drawing prey in via suction, and can swallow prey larger than itself. [14]

It is dioecious. At breeding time, the male courts the female by following her around closely. When ready to spawn, the female ascends rapidly to the surface, where she lays a mass of eggs stuck together by gelatinous mucus. This egg raft adheres to the seaweed, where it is fertilised by the male. On hatching, each larva is surrounded by an integumentary envelope and has a large, rounded head, fully formed fins, and eyes with double notches. As the larva develops into a juvenile, this envelope fuses with the skin. [13]

This fish is preyed on by larger fish and sea birds. To avoid underwater threats, it can leap above the surface onto mats of weed. It can survive for some time out of water. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frogfish</span> Family of fishes

Frogfishes are any member of the anglerfish family Antennariidae, of the order Lophiiformes. Antennariids are known as anglerfish in Australia, where the term "frogfish" refers to members of the unrelated family Batrachoididae. Frogfishes are found in almost all tropical and subtropical oceans and seas around the world, the primary exception being the Mediterranean Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spotfin frogfish</span> Species of fish

The spotfin frogfish, also known as the big-spot angler, coin-bearing frogfish, darkspot frogfish, ocellated angler, ocellated fringed fishing frog, opulent frogfish, spotfin angler or white-finger anglerfish, is a species ray-finned fish belonging to the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. The spotfin frogfish is found in scattered locations the eastern Atlantic, Indian and western Pacific Oceans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocellated frogfish</span> Species of fish

The ocellated frogfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. This fish is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Striated frogfish</span> Species of fish

The striated frogfish or hairy frogfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. This species is found in the Indo-Pacific and eastern Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glauert's anglerfish</span> Species of fish

Glauert's anglerfish is species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Histiophryninae in the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. This species is the only species in the monospecific genus Allenichthys. This species is endemic to southern Australia.

<i>Histiophryne</i> Genus of fishes

Histiophryne is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the subfamily Histiophryninae in the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. These fishes are found in waters ranging from Taiwan to South Australia. There are currently five known species. These fishes are easily distinguished from other anglerfishes as having a reduced luring appendage, a highly evolved form of the first dorsal fin spine.

<i>Antennarius</i> Genus of fishes

Antennarius is a genus of anglerfish belonging to the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. The fishes in this genus are found in warmer parts of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.

<i>Antennatus</i> Genus of fishes

Antennatus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. The fishes in this genus are found the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

<i>Nudiantennarius</i> Species of fish

Nudiantennarius is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. The only species in the genus is Nudiantennarius subteres, the deepwater frogfish. This fish is found in the Western Pacific Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randall's frogfish</span> Species of fish

Randall's frogfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. This species is found in the Indo-Pacific region.

Porophryne is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Histiophryninae in the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. The only species in the genus is Porophryne erythrodactylus, the red-fingered anglerfish, red-footed frogfish, Bare Island anglerfish or Sydney anglerfish, which is endemism to the waters off New South Wales in eastern Australia. Both the species and the genus were first described in 2014.

Abantennarius drombus, freckled frogfish or Hawaiian freckled frogfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. The freckled frogfish is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.

<i>Antennarius indicus</i> Species of fish

Antennarius indicus, the Indian frogfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. The Indian frogfish is found in the Indian Ocean.

<i>Antennarius pauciradiatus</i> Species of fish

Antennarius pauciradiatus, the dwarf frogfish or smallspot frogfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. This species is found in the western Atlantic.

Abantennarius analis, the tailjet frogfish, tailjet anglerfish or dwarf frogfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. This species is found in the eastern Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.

<i>Abantennarius dorehensis</i> Species of fish

Abantennarius dorehensis, the New Guinean frogfish, bandtail frogfish, Dorei frogfish or white-spotted frogfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. The New Guinean frogfish is found in the Indo-Pacific region.

<i>Antennatus tuberosus</i> Species of fish

Antennatus tuberosus, the tuberculate anglerfish, pygmy angler, pygmy frogfish or tuberculated frogfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. This fish is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

<i>Fowlerichthys avalonis</i> Species of frogfish

Fowlerichthys avalonis, the roughbar frogfish or roughjaw frogfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. This fish is found in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, where it is the most widespread frogfish species.

<i>Lophiocharon trisignatus</i> Species of fish

Lophiocharon trisignatus, the spot-tail anglerfish, rough anglerfish or three-spot frogfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Histiophryninae in the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. This fish is found in the Indo-Pacific region.

<i>Abantennarius</i> Genus of fishes

Abantennarius is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. The fishes in the genus are found in the Indian, Pacific and, one species, in the Western Atlantic Oceans.

References

  1. ↑ McEachran, J.D.; Polanco Fernandez, A. & Russell, B. (2015). "Histrio histrio (errata version published in 2017)". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T190183A115312798. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T190183A115312798.en . Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  2. 1 2 Bailly, Nicolas (2010). "Histrio histrio (Linnaeus, 1758)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 2012-01-04.
  3. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2024). "Histrio histrio" in FishBase. February 2024 version.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Frogfish (Histrio histrio)". Marine Species Identification Portal. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
  5. ↑ Ayling, Tony; Geoffrey Cox (1982). Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand. Auckland, New Zealand: William Collins Publishers. ISBN   0-00-216987-8.
  6. ↑ "Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, histrio". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
  7. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Histrio". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences.
  8. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Antennariidae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  9. ↑ Theodore W. Pietsch and Rachel J. Arnold (2017). "The "Lembeh Frogfish" Identified: Redescription of Nudiantennarius subteres (Smith and Radcliffe, in ) (Teleostei: Lophiiformes: Antennariidae)". Copeia. 105 (4): 657–663. doi:10.1643/CI-17-651.
  10. ↑ Arnold, R. J.; R. G. Harcourt; and T. W. Pietsch (2014). "A new genus and species of the frogfish family Antennariidae (Teleostei: Lophiiformes: Antennarioidei) from New South Wales, Australia, with a diagnosis and key to the genera of the Histiophryninae". Copeia. 2014 (3): 534–539. doi:10.1643/CI-13-155.
  11. ↑ Nelson, J.S.; Grande, T.C.; Wilson, M.V.H. (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 508–518. doi:10.1002/9781119174844. ISBN   978-1-118-34233-6. LCCN   2015037522. OCLC   951899884. OL   25909650M.
  12. ↑ Christopher Scharpf (14 November 2022). "Order LOPHIIFORMES (part 1): Families LOPHIIDAE, ANTENNARIIDAE, TETRABRACHIIDAE, LOPHICHTHYIDAE, BRACHIONICHTHYIDAE, CHAUNACIDAE and OGCOCEPHALIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  13. 1 2 3 "Biological profiles: Sargassumfish". Florida Museum of Natural History. Archived from the original on 2011-09-06. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
  14. 1 2 3 "Nature's Fast Feeder: The Frogfish". Bahamas Wildlife. Archived from the original on 2017-04-22. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
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