Antennarius indicus

Antennarius indicus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Division: Teleostei
Order: Lophiiformes
Family: Antennariidae
Genus: Antennarius
Species:
A. indicus
Binomial name
Antennarius indicus
Schultz, 1964

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

Taxonomy

A. indicus was first formally described in 1964 by Leonard Peter Schultz with its type locality given as Vizagapatam in India. Within the genus Antennarius the Indian frogfish belongs to the striatus species group. The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classified Antennarius in Antennariidae within the suborder Antennarioidei within the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes.

Etymology

A. indicus has the genus name Antennarius which suffixes -ius to antenna, an allusion to first dorsal spine being adapted into a tentacle on the snout used as a lure to attract prey. The specific name indicus refers to the type locality in India.

Description

A. indicus has an illicium that is roughly equal in length to the second dorsal spine and which has an esca, or lure that is made up of leaf-like appendages. The dorsal fin has 12 soft rays while the anal fin has 7 soft rays. The body colour is tawny to brown marked with dark brown to black bars on the fins, which may be interconnected and which form stripes when the fins are folded. It features 2 or 3 obvious pale-margined ocelli, one below the base of the dorsal fin, one above and to the rear of the base of the pectoral fin and the other close to the base of the anal fin. Preserved specimens may be beige with pale fins and dark mottling. The Indian frogfish has a maximum published length of 23 cm (9.1 in).

Distribution and habitat

A. indicus inhabits the western Indian Ocean from the Gulf of Aden to northern Mozambique to southeastern India and Sri Lanka, including the Seychelles and Lakshadweep. The Indian frogfish occurs between 0 and 30 m (0 and 98 ft) in sandy and muddy habitats close to coral reefs and algal beds.

References

  1. 1 2 Pietsch, T. (2022). "Antennarius indicus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022 e.T67968687A200001278. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T67968687A200001278.en. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  2. ↑ Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Antennarius". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Antennarius indicus". www.frogfish.ch. Teresa Zubi. Retrieved 28 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. ↑ 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 28 March 2024.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Anetnnarius indicus". FishBase. February 2024 version.