Lophius

Last updated

Monkfish
Temporal range: 48.6–0  Ma
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Lutetian to present [1]
Monkfish.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Lophiiformes
Suborder: Lophioidei
Family: Lophiidae
Genus: Lophius
Linnaeus, 1758
Type species
Lophius piscatorius
Species

See text

Synonyms [2]

Members of the genus Lophius, also sometimes called monkfish, fishing-frogs, frog-fish, and sea-devils, are various species of lophiid anglerfishes found in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Lophius is known as the "monk" or "monkfish" to the North Sea and North Atlantic fishermen, a name which also belongs to Squatina squatina , the angelshark, a type of shark. The North European species is Lophius piscatorius , and the Mediterranean species is Lophius budegassa .

Contents

Taxonomy

Lophius was first proposed as a genus by Carl Linnaeus when he described Lophius piscatorius in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae given as "in Oceano Europæo", meaning the Northeastern Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean and Black Seas with localities mentioned including Bordeaux, Marseille and Montpellier in France; Genoa, Rome, Naples and Venice in Italy; Lesbos in Greece; and Syria. [2] [3] The genus Lophius is one of 4 extant genera in the family Lophiidae which the 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies in the monotypic suborder Lophioidei within the order Lophiiformes. [4] Within the Lophiidae Lophius is most closely related to Lophiomus with Lophiodes'' being the sister taxon to these and with Sladenia as the most basal sister group to the other three genera. [5]

Etymology

Lophius means "mane" and is presumably a reference to the first three spines of the first dorsal fin which are tentacle like, with three smaller spines behind them. [6]

Species

The seven recognized extant species in this genus are: [7]

ImageScientific NameCommon NameDistribution
Lophius americanus museum of nature.jpg Lophius americanus Valenciennes, 1837American anglerwestern Atlantic from Newfoundland and Quebec south to northern Florida
Lophius budegassa.jpg Lophius budegassa Spinola, 1807blackbellied anglerMediterranean and eastern Atlantic
Lophius gastrophysus A. Miranda-Ribeiro, 1915blackfin goosefishcoasts of northern South America, Central America, Aruba, Cuba, and Costa Rica
Lophius litulon D. S. Jordan, 1902yellow goosefishJapan, Korea, and the Yellow and East China seas.
Angler fish.jpg Lophius piscatorius Linnaeus, 1758 angler, European angler or common monkfishnortheast Atlantic, from the Barents Sea to the Strait of Gibraltar, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea
Lophius vaillanti Regan, 1903shortspine African anglerEastern Atlantic
Lophius vomerinus Valenciennes, 1837devil anglerfishDurban, South Africa as well as northern Namibia where it is found in Indian and Atlantic Oceans

Description

Lophius monkfishes are characterised by having highly compressed heads and bodies. The frontal ridges have a covering of low, blunt knobs or cross ridges. There is a large spine on the parietal bone and there are spines on the lower quadrate bone. The soft-rayed portion of the dorsal fin has between 9 and 12 rays and the anal fin has between 8 and 10 rays. The gill opening reaches below and to the rear of the base of the pectoral fin. There are 6 dorsal spines, those on the head are well developed but those behind the head are very small. There are two well-developed spines on the sphenotic bone and one on the epiotic bone. There is a single spine on the joint at the front of the jaw joint and a single interopercular spine. The humeral spine is also well-developed and has 2 or 3 smaller spines on it. [8] The largest species in the genus is the angler ( L. piscatorius ), with a maximum published standard length of 200 cm (79 in), while the smallest is the blackfin goosefish ( L. gastrophysus ) with a maximum published total length of 67 cm (26 in). [9]

Reproduction

The spawn of this genus consists of a thin sheet of transparent gelatinous material 60–100 cm (25–40 in) wide and 8–10 m (26–33 ft) in length. The eggs in this sheet are in a single layer, each in its own little cavity. The spawn is free in the sea. The larvae are free-swimming and have pelvic fins with elongated filaments.

Habitat

The East Atlantic species is found along the coasts of Europe but becomes scarce beyond 60°N latitude; it also occurs on the coasts of the Cape of Good Hope.[ clarification needed ] The species caught on the North American side of the Atlantic is usually Lophius americanus . A third species (Lophius budegassa), inhabits the Mediterranean, and a fourth (L. setigerus) the coasts of China and Japan.[ citation needed ]

The black (L. budegassa) and white ( L. piscatorius ) anglerfish both live in shallow, inshore waters from 800 metres (2,600 ft) to deeper waters (greater than 1,000 metres or 3,300 feet). [10] These two species are very similar, with only a few distinctions between them. These include the colour of the peritoneum (black for L. budegassa and white for L. piscatorius) and the number of rays in the second dorsal fin (L. budegassa, 9–10 and L. piscatorius, 11–12). [11] Also, minor differences in their distribution occur. Black anglerfish tend to have a more southern distribution (Mediterranean and eastern North Atlantic from the British Isles to Senegal). In contrast, the white anglerfish are distributed further north (Mediterranean, Black Sea and eastern North Atlantic from the Barents Sea to the Strait of Gibraltar). [11] Despite these differences, the overall distribution of the black and white anglerfish tend to overlap greatly. [11] A map of the distribution of anglerfish in the waters surrounding Europe and North Africa can be found in the external links section. The movements of both species of anglerfish indicate mixing of both northern and southern species could have strong implications for the geographical boundaries of the stocks from a management perspective. [10]

Commercial use

Two species, Lophius piscatorius and Lophius budegassa , found in north-western Europe are referred to as monkfish, with L. piscatorius by far the most common species around the British Isles and of major fishery interest. Under UK Labelling Regulations, the phrase "monkfish" is only permitted for Lophiodes caulinaris , Lophius americanus , Lophius budegassa and Lophius piscatorius . [12]

Both species of Lophius are important because they are commercially valuable species usually caught by trawl and gillnetting fleets. [10]

Concern is expressed over the sustainability of monkfish fishing. [13] The method most commonly used to catch monkfish, beam trawling, has been described as damaging to seafloor habitats. In February 2007, the British supermarket chain Asda banned monkfish from their stores. [14]

Related Research Articles

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

Goosefishes, sometimes called anglers or monkfishes, are a family, the Lophiidae, of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes. These fishes are found in all the world's oceans except for the Antarctic Ocean.

<i>Lophius piscatorius</i> Species of fish

Lophius piscatorius, commonly known as the angler, European angler or common monkfish, is a monkfish in the family Lophiidae. It is found in coastal waters of the northeast Atlantic, from the Barents Sea to the Strait of Gibraltar, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Within some of its range, including the Irish Sea, this species comprises a significant commercial fishery.

<i>Brachionichthys</i> Genus of fishes

Brachionichythys is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Brachionichthyidae, the handfishes. These fishes are confined to the southeastern Indian and southwestern Pacific Oceans off Australia.

<i>Squatina squatina</i> Species of shark

Squatina squatina, the angelshark or monkfish, is a species of shark in the family Squatinidae, that were once widespread in the coastal waters of the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. Well-adapted for camouflaging itself on the sea floor, the angelshark has a flattened form with enlarged pectoral and pelvic fins, giving it a superficial resemblance to a ray. This species can be identified by its broad and stout body, conical barbels, thornless back, and grayish or brownish dorsal coloration with a pattern of numerous small light and dark markings. It measures up to 2.4 m (7.9 ft) long.

<i>Lophius americanus</i> Species of fish

Lophius americanus is a goosefish in the family Lophiidae, also called all-mouth, American anglerfish, American monkfish, bellows-fish, devil-fish, headfish, molligut, satchel-mouth, or wide-gape. It is native to the eastern coast of North America.

Lophichthys boschmai, also known as Arafura frogfish or Boschma's frogfish, is a species of anglerfishes closely related to frogfish. L. boschmai is the only species in the Lophichthydae family. L. boschmai were first reported by Marinus Boseman in 1964 to the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, now known as National Museum of Natural History in Leiden. The species was named after Dutch zoologist, Hildbrand Boschma.

<i>Lasiognathus</i> Genus of fishes

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglerfish</span> Bony fish of the teleost order Lophiiformes

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.

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

The humpback anglerfish is a species of black seadevils 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.

<i>Sladenia shaefersi</i> Species of fish

Sladenia shaefersi, the Atlantic twospine goosefish or Shaefer's anglerfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lophiidae, the goosefishes, monkfishes and anglers. This species is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Lophiodes</i> Genus of fishes

Lophiodes is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Lophiidae, the goosefishes, monkfishes and anglers. It is one of four extant genera in the family Lophiidae. The fish in this genus are found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Lophiomus is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family, Lophiidae, the goose fishes, monkfishes or anglers. The only species in the genus is Lophiomus setigerus, the blackmouth angler, blackmouth goosefish, broadheaded angler or broadhead goosefish. This fish is found in the Indo-Pacific.

<i>Sladenia</i> (fish) Genus of fishes

Sladenia is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Lophiidae, which includes the goosefishes, monkfishes and anglers. These are deepwater anglers found in theIndian Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Western Pacific Ocean.

<i>Caruso brachysomus</i> Extinct species of fish

Caruso brachysomus is an extinct species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lophiidae, the goosefishes, monkfishes and anglers, within the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes. It was described by Louis Agassiz in 1835 from the Monte Bolca locality. It became extinct during the middle Eocene.

<i>Lophius budegassa</i> Species of fish

Lophius budegassa, the blackbellied angler or blackbellied monkfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lophiidae, the goosefishes, monkfishes and anglers. This species is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

<i>Lophiodes beroe</i> Species of fish

Lophiodes beroe, the white goosefish or white anglerfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lophiidae, the goosefishes, monkfishes or anglers. This species is found in deep waters in the western Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Lophius vomerinus</i> Species of marine ray-finned fish

Lophius vomerinus, the devil anglerfish, Cape monk or Cape monkfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lophiidae, the goosefishes, monkfishes or anglerfishes. This species is endemic to the waters of the southeastern Atlantic and southwestern Indian Oceans around Southern Africa.

<i>Lophiodes mutilus</i> Species of fish

Lophiodes mutilus, the smooth angler or smooth monkfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lophiidae, the goosefishes, monkfishes and anglers. This species is found in the Indo-Pacific.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celebes monkfish</span> Species of fish

The Celebes monkfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lophiidae, the goose fishes, monkfishes or anglers. This species is found in the Indo-Pacific.

<i>Sladenia zhui</i> Species of fish

Sladenia zhui, Chu's rounded angler, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lophiidae, the goosefishes, monkfishes and anglers. This species is found in the western Pacific Ocean.

References

  1. ↑ Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Archived from the original on 2009-02-20. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
  2. 1 2 Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Lophiidae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  3. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Lophius". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ Masaki Miya; Theodore W Pietsch; James W Orr; et al. (2010). "Evolutionary history of anglerfishes (Teleostei: Lophiiformes): a mitogenomic perspective". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 10 (58): 58. Bibcode:2010BMCEE..10...58M. doi: 10.1186/1471-2148-10-58 . PMC   2836326 .
  6. ↑ 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 6 March 2024.
  7. ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). Species of Lophius in FishBase . April 2012 version.
  8. ↑ Theodore W Pietsch (2022). "Order Lophiiformes". In Phillip C Heemstra; Elaine Heemstra; David A Ebert; Wouter Holleman; John E Randall (eds.). Coastal Fishes of the Western Indian Ocean (PDF). Vol. 2. South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity. pp. 281–307. ISBN   978-1-990951-29-9.
  9. ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2024). Species of Lophius in FishBase . February 2024 version.
  10. 1 2 3 Landa, J; Quincoces, I.; Duarte, R.; Farina, A.C.; Dupouy, H. (2008). "Movements of black and white anglerfish (Lophius budegassa and L. piscatorius) in the northeast Atlantic". Fisheries Research. 94 (1): 12. doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2008.04.006.
  11. 1 2 3 Duarte, Rafael; Azevedo, Manuela; Landa, Jorge; Pereda, Pilar (2001). "Reproduction of anglerfish (Lophius budegassa Spinola and Lophius piscatorius Linnaeus) from the Atlantic Iberian coast". Fisheries Research. 51 (1–3): 12. doi:10.1016/S0165-7836(01)00259-4.
  12. ↑ "The Fish Labelling (England) Regulations 2010 No. 420". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  13. ↑ Stevens, Melissa M. (2010). Seafood Watch: Monkfish Report (PDF). Monterey Bay Aquarium. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-16.
  14. ↑ "Monkfish taken off menu at Asda". BBC News Online . 2007-02-01. Retrieved 2010-05-11.

Further reading

Wikisource-logo.svg This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Angler". Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 15.

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