Murray's Abyssal Anglerfish, Melanocetus murrayi Günther, 1887

ANIMAL SPECIES:Murray's Abyssal Anglerfish, Melanocetus murrayi Günther, 1887

Murray's Abyssal Anglerfish live their strange sexually dimorphic lives the deepsea.

Identification

Murray's Abyssal Anglerfish is a soft-bodied fish that lacks scales and pelvic fins. It has a large head and mouth, with long pointed teeth. There is a short illicium with a bulbous esca on the snout. Live fish are black.

Size range

Females grow to 12 cm in length but males only grow to 2 cm.

Distribution

Murray's Abyssal Anglerfish occurs worldwide in deep tropical and temperate waters.

In Australia the species has been collected from scattered localities off north-western Western Australia, but is almost certainly more widespread.

Distribution by collection data

Biomaps map of Murray's Abyssal Anglerfish specimens in the Australian Museum collection.

What does this mean?

Habitat

Murray's Abyssal Anglerfish is a bathypelagic species.

Behaviour and adaptations

Mating and reproduction

The species is sexually dimorphic.

Classification

Species:: murrayi
Genus:: Melanocetus
Family:: Melanocetidae
Class:: Actinopterygii
Subphylum:: Vertebrata
Phylum:: Chordata
Kingdom:: Animalia

What does this mean?

References

Bertelsen, E., 1990. Melanocetidae. in Quero, J.C., Hureau, J.C., Karrer, C. Post, A. & L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 1. v-xxxii, 1-519.
Bertelsen, E., & Pietsch, T.W. 1983. The Ceratioid Anglerfishes of Australia. Records of the Australian Museum. 35: 77-99.
Paxton, J.R., D.F. Hoese, G.R. Allen & J.E. Hanley. 1989. Zoological Catalogue of Australia Vol.7 Pisces Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Survey. Pp. i-xii, 1-665.

Last Updated: 14 May 2009

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