Footballfish | |
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Himantolophus groenlandicus | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Lophiiformes |
Suborder: | Ceratioidei |
Family: | Himantolophidae Gill, 1861 |
Genus: | Himantolophus J. C. H. Reinhardt, 1837 |
Type species | |
Himantolophus groenlandicus Reinhardt, 1837 | |
Species | |
See text | |
Synonyms | |
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.
The footballfish genus, Himantolophus was first proposed as a monospecific genus in 1837 by the Norwegian zoologist Johan Reinhardt when he described Himantolophus groenlandicus. [1] Reinhardt gave the type locality of H. groenlandicus as being near Godthaab in Greenland where it had been washed ashore. [2] In 1861 Theodore Gill placed Himantolophus in the new monotypic family Himantolophidae. [3] The 5th edition of The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies this family in the suborder Ceratioidei of the anglerfish order Lophiiformes. [4]
The football fish family and genus names are derived from a combination of himantos, which means a "leather strap", "thong" or "leash", with lophus, meaning "crest" or "tuft". Reinhardt did not explain this name but it is thought to refer to the thick, leathery illicium of the type species, H. groenlandicus. [5]
There are currently 23 recognized species in this genus [6] [2] and these are divided into species groups as set out below. [7]
These groups were determined from the morphology of the metamorphosed females, except for brevirostris and rostratus which were determined from males only. [7]
Footballfish are sexually dimorphic with the metamorphosed females and males being very different in appearance. The metamorphosed females are distinguished from other anglerfishes of the suborder Ceratioidei by having a well developed lower jaw which protrudes beyond the snout. They also have a wide vomer which has no teeth, well developed spines on the sphenotic bone, there is a covering of low, rounded papillae on the snout and chin and, at least in larger individuals, there are conical spines in the skin which are scattered over the head and body. The esca of footballfishes vary in size and morphology, to a greater extent than other deep sea anglerfishes. The metamorphosed males have a line of large spines above and behind the upper denticular bone, their eyes are directedto the sides and have moderately sized and they have a large olfactory system with sideways pointing nostrils. They have between 16 and 31 denticular teeth on the snout and between 20 and 50 on the chin, these teeth merge at thire bases to form the upper and lower denticular bones. Their skin has a dense covering of dermal spinules. The larvae are round with a swollen appearance to the skin with pectoral fins that do not extend beyond the dorsal and anal fins, the females have a small club-shaped rudimentary illicium. [7] The males are considerably smaller than the females, for example in H. groenlandicus the maximum published standard length for a male is 4 cm (1.6 in) while that of a females is 60 cm (24 in). [11]
Footballfishes are found in the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, [12] as well as the Southern Ocean. [8]
Footballfishes are one of the ceratioid groups in which the males are free living and non-parasitic on the females. [7] The males use their highly developed olfactory organs to detect females, once they find a female they attach themselves to her but do not fuse with her to become parasitic. The eggs and larvae are pelagic. [12] The speialsed teeth on the denticular bones are used to temporarily attach the male to the female. [13] There is a record of a female with a scar on her skin that was probably caused by amale that became detached. [14]
At the depths at which these fishes live it is dark and food is sparse and rarely encountered. The female footballfish have bioluminescent bacteria in their escas and this is used to attract prey to within striking distance of the mouth. The prey is whatever they can fit into their mouths, and the backward curving teeth ensure that prey are unable to escape. Recorded prey includes fishes, squid and crustaceans. [15]
Leftvents are small, deep-sea lophiiform fish comprising the family Linophrynidae distributed throughout tropical to subtropical waters of all oceans.
Linophryne arborifera, or illuminated netdevil, is an anglerfish of the family Linophrynidae, found in all tropical and subtropical oceans at depths below 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in the Bathyal zone. Its length is up to 77 mm. The female is significantly larger than the mature, parasitic male.
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, are a family of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes. These fishes are found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. They are distinguished from other deep sea anglerfishes by the possession of a second bioluminescent cephalic spine. The males have not yet been described.
The triplewart seadevil is a sea devil of the family Ceratiidae and the order Lophoiiformes. 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 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.
Spiniphryne, also called spiny dreamers, is a genus of dreamers. Like other deep-sea anglerfish, Spiniphryne lure prey to them by means of a modified first dorsal fin ray with a bioluminescent bulb at the tip. Spiniphryne is unique amongst the oneirodids for being covered in tiny spines.
The complete anglerfish (Lasiognathus) is a genus of deep-sea anglerfish in the family Thaumatichthyidae, with six species known from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Its lure apparatus appears to consist of a fishing rod, a fishing line, bait, and hooks. It is also distinctive for an enormous upper jaw with premaxillaries that can be folded down to enclose the much shorter lower jaw.
The anglerfish are fish of the teleost order Lophiiformes. They are bony fish named for their characteristic mode of predation, in which a modified luminescent fin ray acts as a lure for other fish. The luminescence comes from symbiotic bacteria, which are thought to be acquired from seawater, that dwell in and around the sea.
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.
The humpback anglerfish is a species of black seadevil in the family of Melanocetidae, which means "black whale" in Greek. The species is named after James Yate Johnson, the English naturalist who discovered the first specimen in Madeira in 1863. The common names include anglerfish, viperfish and fangtoothfish.
Himantolophus groenlandicus, the Atlantic footballfish or Atlantic football-fish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Himantolophidae, the footballfishes. This fish is found primarily in mesopelagic depths of the ocean. Despite its name, this species might not be restricted to the Atlantic Ocean, with its range possibly extending into the Indian Ocean and to the Pacific Ocean. It is found in tropical and temperate regions.
Caulophryne is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Caulophrynidae, the fanfins or hairy anglerfishes. These fishes are found throughout the non-polar oceans of the world.
Robia is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Caulophrynidae, the fanfins. Its only species is Robia legula which is known from a single specimen collected in the western central Pacific Ocean where it is found at depths of 1,000 to 1,500 metres.
Linophryne is a genus of leftvents, commonly called the "bearded seadevils."
Oneirodes is a genus of fish in the family Oneirodidae.
Himantolophus litoceras is a species of footballfish, a type of anglerfish. The fish is bathydemersal and has been found at a depth of 654 metres (2,146 ft). It is endemic to the waters surrounding New Zealand.
Himantolophus paucifilosus is a species of marine fish of the family Himantolophidae, the footballfishes, a type of anglerfish. The fish is bathypelagic and has been found at depths ranging from 100 to 1,540 metres. It occurs in the east central Atlantic Ocean, from Cape Verde and Senegal in the north to Namibia and Angola in the south, and also on the coast of Brazil.
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.
Himantolophus kalami is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Himantolophidae, the footballfishes. This species was described in 2022 by Melapurra Rajeeshkumar, Theodore Wells Pietsch III and Naryanane Saravanane with its type locality given as the east coast of the northern Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. This species is a member of the Himantolophus albinares species complex, a classification partly based on the absence of anterior escal appendages. It differs from other species in this complex in having a unique illicial and escal morphology having a simple lower central filament and a pair of filaments on each side of the base the esca. The specific name honours A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the 11th president of India from 2002 to 2007, who was also an aerospace engineer, recognising his contributions and encouragement of India's space research and missile technology, as well as his encouragement of students in his speeches and books.