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Small stocky globose fishes (5-40cm). Loose prickly skin, limb-like pectoral fins with an elbow-like joint, small round gill openings, very large upward directed mouth. First dorsal spine is modified into a moveable fishing rod (Illicium) tipped with a lure (esca). The rod comes in different lengths and is sometimes striped.
Esca and illicium
The shape of the lure is one of the main distinguishing marks that will even help a layman to identify a frogfish. The lure often but not always mimics a small animal. The lures of some species (A. striatus or A. hispidus) are shaped like a worm, others (A. commerson or Ph. scortea) like a shrimp or even like a small fish with eye-spot and appendages resembling fins (A. maculatus). Using mimicry to catch prey is called aggressive mimicry.
-- Giant frogfish (A. commerson) - lure with long filaments, like a small shrimp
-- Warty frogfish (A. maculatus) - lure like a small fish
-- Hairy frogfish (A. striatus) - lure shaped like a polychaete worm
-- Bermuda frogfish (A. bermudensis) - lure with dark swellings at the base
-- Hispid frogfish (A. hispidus) - lure shaped like a pompom imitating a tube worm
-- New Guinea frogfish (A. dorehensis) - lure is directed ventrally Tips for the identification of frogfishes
Frogfish are determined by looking at the length of the rod and the form of their lure, the dermal spinules, the number of their spines, the number of fin-rays and the position of the gill opening. It is also important if there eye spots (ocellus) present or they are missing. The colors are so variable, that they don't help much in identifying frogfishes. Some of the rarer colors can be used though to prove or disprove a certain identification.
Identification from the length of the lure and the colors CLICK HERE
List of 44 frogfish species
Frogfish Species CLICK HERE
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Credits to Copyright Teresa Zubi
