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.
The bulbous dreamer, or cosmoplitan dreamer, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Oneirodidae, the dreamers, a family of deep-sea anglerfishes. This fish has a circumglobal distribution in tropical and temperate oceans.
Lasiognathus saccostoma is a species of wolftrap angler known from the eastern central Pacific Ocean and tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It is found at depths to 4,000 metres (13,000 ft). The females of this species grow to a length of 7.7 centimetres (3.0 in) SL. This species has a slender, compressed prolongation at the tip of its elongated, cylindrical distal escal appendage, with numerous lateral serrations and distal filaments. Unlike in L. amphirhamphus, there are three escal hooks and they are darkly pigmented. The posterior escal appendage is broad and laterally compressed, and relatively larger than in L. amphirhamphus. No males or larval specimens have ever been found.
Spiniphryne gladisfenae, also known as the prickly dreamer, is a species of dreamer. Dreamers are a type of deep sea anglerfish known only from the Atlantic Ocean. Anglerfish are classified by how they lure their prey. Female anglerfish have a piece of dorsal spine that protrudes above their mouth and is luminescent in order to attract prey. The females of the species Spiniphryne gladisfenae can grow to a length of 10.5 centimetres (4.1 in) SL. The esca contains two bulbous appendages on the tip, covered with tiny papillae and with clusters of tiny filaments around the base. There is also a large appendage on the back, divided at the end into three lobes or many filaments. The number of lateral escal filaments varies from none to three. S. gladisfenae also has fewer dental teeth than S. duhameli.
Phyllorhinichthys is a genus of dreamers. Like other oneirodids, they are small, bathypelagic fish with bioluminescent lures. Phyllorhinichthys is unique amongst the deep-sea anglerfish in having a pair of fleshy, leaf-like structures on its snout.
Phyllorhinichthys balushkini is a species of dreamer found in the Atlantic Ocean. The females of this species grow to a length of 14.5 centimetres (5.7 in) SL. The illicium is longer than that of P. micractis. The esca bears a single forward appendage containing a pair of internal light-guiding tubes that diverge from each other at the tip. The rear escal appendage is extremely long, measuring over half the length of the fish, covered with dark skin and ending in a pair of translucent bulbs. The snout flaps are relatively small.
The Wonderfish (Thaumatichthys) is a genus of deep-sea anglerfish in the family Thaumatichthyidae, with three known species. Its scientific name means "wonder-fish" in Greek; oceanographer Anton Bruun described these fishes as "altogether one of the oddest creatures in the teeming variety of the fish world." In contrast to other anglerfishes, the bioluminescent lure of Thaumatichthys is located inside its cavernous mouth. They are worldwide in distribution and are ambush predators living near the ocean floor.
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.
Lasiognathus beebei is a species of marine ray-finned fish belongning to the family Thaumatichthyidae, the wolftrap anglers. This species is known from around the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean and from around Madeira and Bermuda in the Atlantic.
Lasiognathus intermedius is a species of wolftrap angler known from the western Atlantic Ocean and the southeastern Pacific Ocean where it occurs at depths of around 1,265 metres (4,150 ft). The females of this species grow to a length of 12.9 centimetres (5.1 in) SL. This species has an elongated, cylindrical distal appendage with a short, cylindrical prolongation at the tip without any lateral serrations or filaments. The posterior escal appendage is cylindrical in shape. Its species name refers to its esca being intermediate in shape between those of L. beebei and those of L. saccostoma and L. waltoni.
Lasiognathus waltoni is a species of wolftrap angler known from the eastern central Pacific Ocean. This species is found at depths to around 1,350 metres (4,430 ft). The females of this species grow to a length of 9.4 centimetres (3.7 in) SL. This species is characterized by a membranous anterior crest on its escal bulb, and an elongated, cylindrical distal escal appendage without a prolongation at the tip. Its species name honors Sir Isaac Walton, author of The Compleat Angler.
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.
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.
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.
Microlophichthys is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Oneirodidae, the dreamers, a family of deep sea anglerfishes. The species in this genus are found in the tropical and subtropical parts of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Pentherichthys is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Oneirodidae, the dreamers, a family of deep-sea anglerfishes. The only species in the genus is Pentherichthys atratus which is found in the bathypelagic zones of the tropical and subtropical Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. The males of this species are dwarfed and are not parasitic on the females.
Lasiognathus dinema is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Thaumatichthyidae, the wolftrap anglers.This species is found in the deep waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico. It is found at depths of around 3,280 to 4,900 feet.
Caulophryne pelagica 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 eastern Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Southern Ocean. Its biology is little known but similar species show extreme sexual dimorphism with the very small makes seeking out and attaching themselves to the much larger females and becoming parasites of the females.
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.
Oneirodes carlsbergi is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Oneirodidae, the dreamers, a family of deep-sea anglerfishes. This fish is found mainly in the tropical eastern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
