The footballfish form a family, Himantolophidae, of globose, deep-sea anglerfishes found in tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Ocean. The family contains 23 species, all of which are classified in a single genus, Himantolophus.
Ceratiidae, the warty sea devils, caruncled seadevils or seadevils, are a family of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the suborder Ceratioidei, the deep-sea anglerfishes, in the anglerfish order Lophiiformes. The warty sea devils are sexually dimorphic with the small males being obligate sexual parasites of the much larger females. The fishes in this family are widely distributed from polar to tropical seas around the world.
Fanfins or hairy anglerfish are a family, Caulophrynidae, of marine ray-finned fishes within the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes. The fishes in this family are found almost around the world in the deeper, aphotic waters of the oceans.
Double anglers, the family Diceratiidae, is a small and little known family of rarely encountered marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes. The two genera and seven species of this family are found in the deeper waters of the tropical and subtropical Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. They are distinguished from other deep sea anglerfishes by the possession of a second bioluminescent cephalic spine. The fishes in this family were known only from metamorphosed females and the males were not described until 1983.
Krøyer's deep sea angler fish, also known as the deep-sea angler, longray seadevil or northern seadevil, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ceratiidae, the warty seadevils. It is found throughout the oceans of the world, from tropical to polar seas. It is the largest species in its family.
Thaumatichthyidae, the wolftrap anglers, is a small family of marine ray-finned fishes, also called the wolftrap seadevils, classified within the suborder Ceratioidei, the deep-sea anglerfishes. They have distinctive upper jaws with movable premaxillaries that can be lowered to form a cage-like trap around the much shorter lower jaw.
The triplewart seadevil is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ceratiidae, the warty sea devils, and the order Lophiiformes. This species is the only member of its genus. Noted for its extreme sexual dimorphism, the triplewart seadevil's length ranges from 20 to 30 cm for females and 1 to 3 cm for males.
The horned lantern fish or prickly seadevil is a species of marine ray-finned fish, it is the only species in the monotypic family Centrophrynidae. This species has a circumglobal distribution and is distinguished from other deep-sea anglerfishes by various characters including four pectoral radials, an anterior spine on the subopercular bone, and a short hyoid (chin) barbel in both sexes.
The toothed seadevil, spiny seadevil or netbeard seadevil,, is a rarely seen deep-sea anglerfish found in the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones in Oceans around the World. It is the only species in the family Neoceratidae, and is unique amongst the deep-sea anglerfish in lacking an illicium and esca, and in having large teeth placed on the outside of its jaws.
Black seadevils are small, deepsea lophiiform fishes of the family Melanocetidae. The five known species are all within the genus Melanocetus. They are found in tropical to temperate waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, with one species known only from the Ross Sea.
Rhynchactis leptonema is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Gigantactinidae, the whipnose anglers. This species is known from widely scattered locations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Bufoceratias is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Diceratiidae, the double anglers. Thee fishes in this genus are found i the Indian, Pacific and Western Atlantic Oceans.
Bufoceratias wedli is a species of deep sea marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Diceratiidae, the double anglers. This anglerfish is found in deep water over the continental shelf in the tropical and subtropical areas of the Eastern and Western Atlantic Oceans. It is the type species of the genus Bufoceratias and like other members of that genus is known only from adult females, the unknown males are thought to be free living rather than sexual parasites of the females like those of some other deep sea anglerfishes.
Caulophryne polynema is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Caulophrynidae, the fanfins. This species is a deepwater species which is found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Like other deepwater anglerfishes it shows extreme sexual dimorphism with the males being much smaller than the females and acting as sexual parasites of the females.
Diceratias is a genus of deep sea marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Diceratiidae, the double anglers. These fishes are found in the Eastern Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions.
Ceratias tentaculatus, the southern seadevil, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ceratiidae, the warty seadevils. This is bathydemersal species which can be found at depths ranging from 100 to 2,900 metres. It is restricted to the Southern Hemisphere.
Ceratias uranoscopus, the stargazing seadevil, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ceratiidae, the warty sea devils. The fish is both bathypelagic and mesopelagic and can typically be found at depths ranging from 500 to 1,000 metres. It is endemic to tropical waters and can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.
Diceratias bispinosus, the two-rod angler, is a species of deep sea marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Diceratiidae, the double anglers. This species is found in the Indo-Pacific region.
Gigantactis elsmani, Elsman's whipnose, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Gigantactinidae, the whipnose anglers. This species is found in the deeper waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Ceratioidei, the deep-sea anglerfishes or pelagic anglerfishes, is a suborder of marine ray-finned fishes, one of four suborders in the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes. These fishes are found in tropical and temperate seas throughout the world. One of the better known traits of the deep-sea anglerfishes is their extreme sexual dimorphism where the males are many times smaller than the females, the males seek out females and use their sharp teeth to clamp onto the females where he remains for the rest of his life, in some species he becomes part of the female. This is the only known natural example of a process called parabiosis. Another common trait of deep-sea anglerfishes is that they use bioluminescence on their esca to attract prey in the darkness of the deep oceans they inhabit.
