Footballfish

A footballfish is an anglerfish in the family Himantolophidae. They are all jammed into one genus, Himantolophus. They are called "footballfish" because they look like soccer balls.

Species

There are 23 species in the family:

• Himantolophus crinitus Bertelsen & G. Krefft, 1988
• Himantolophus danae Regan & Trewavas, 1932
• Himantolophus groenlandicus Reinhardt, 1837 (Atlantic footballfish)
• Himantolophus paucifilosus Bertelsen & G. Krefft, 1988
• Himantolophus sagamius S. Tanaka (I), 1918 (Pacific footballfish)
• Himantolophus appelii F. E. Clarke, 1878 (Prickly anglerfish)
• Himantolophus stewarti Pietsch & Kenaley, 2011 (Stewart's footballfish)
• Himantolophus melanolophus Bertelsen & G. Krefft, 1988
• Himantolophus nigricornis Bertelsen & G. Krefft, 1988
• Himantolophus albinares Maul, 1961
• Himantolophus borealis Kharin, 1984
• Himantolophus kalami Rajeeshjumar, Pietsch & Saravanane, 2022
• Himantolophus mauli Bertelsen & G. Krefft, 1988 (Eastern Atlantic footballfish)
• Himantolophus multifurcatus Bertelsen & G. Krefft, 1988
• Himantolophus pseudalbinares Bertelsen & G. Krefft, 1988
• Himantolophus azurlucens Beebe & Crane, 1947
• Himantolophus compressus Osório, 1912
• Himantolophus cornifer Bertelsen & G. Krefft, 1988
• Himantolophus litoceras A. L. Stewart & Pietsch, 2010
• Himantolophus macroceras Bertelsen & G. Krefft, 1988
• Himantolophus macroceratoides Bertelsen & G. Krefft, 1988
• Himantolophus brevirostris Regan, 1925
• Himantolophus rostratus Regan, 1925

Taxonomy

In 1861, Theodore Gill placed Himantolophus in the monotypic family Himantolophidae. They are classified in the suborder Ceratioidei, the deep-sea anglerfish.

References