''Antennatus sanguineus'', also known as the bloody frogfish or sanguine frogfish, is a
Marine fish belonging to the
family Antennariidae.
Description
''Antennatus sanguineus'' is a small sized
fish which grows up to . Like other members of its
family, it has a globulous, extensible body and the soft skin is covered with small dermal
spinules. The large mouth of this fish is
prognathous
Prognathism, also called Habsburg jaw or Habsburgs' jaw primarily in the context of its prevalence amongst members of the House of Habsburg, is a positional relationship of the Human mandible, mandible or maxilla to the skeletal base where eithe ...
and allows it to consume prey its same size. The coloring of the body is variable and ranges from yellow, or yellow brown, to reddish with brown spotting and mottling. The ventral part is covered with dark spots and an
ocellus can be observed up before the
caudal peduncle.
The first dorsal spine, called the "
illicium", is modified and is used as a fishing rod. Its extremity is endowed with a characteristic
esca (
lure). This latter should look like a small fish and has a cluster of dark swellings and long filaments.
The
pectoral fins are angled and help with the
pelvic fin
Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral surface of fish. The paired pelvic fins are homologous to the hindlimbs of tetrapods.
Structure and function Structure
In actinopterygians, the pelvic fin consists of two en ...
s to the
frogfish locomotion on the bottom and to keep a stable position for
ambush.
Distribution
''Antennatus sanguineus'' lives in the
tropical and
subtropical
The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...
waters from the oriental
Pacific Ocean area, from the Gulf of California to Chile; including Revillagigedos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo and the Galapagos islands.
Habitat
''Antennatus sanguineus'' is found on rocky reef slopes always close to a shelter such as a hole or recesses to a depth range and with an average occurrence at depth.
Feeding
As all
frogfishes, ''Antennatus sanguineus'' is a voracious
carnivore which can attack all small animals that pass within its "strike range"; mainly fishes but sometimes even congeners. Its prey can have size close to its own.
[Pietsch & Grobecker, ‘’Frogfishes of the world’’, Stanford University Press, 1987,]
Behaviour
''Antennatus sanguineus'', like other members of its
family, has a
benthic
The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...
and solitary lifestyle. They gather during mating period but do not tolerate each other any more after the act of
fertilization. The male can kill or eat the female if it stays close to it.
References
External links
Frogfish.chEol.orgFishbase.orgMarinespecies.org
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2739904
Antennariidae
Taxa named by Theodore Gill
Fish described in 1863