Animal Species:Prickly Anglerfish, Echinophryne crassispina McCulloch & Waite, 1918

The Prickly Anglerfish has a short, deep body that is covered with tiny bifircate spines. The species is only known from Australian waters.

 

Prickly Anglerfish, Echinophryne crassispina

Prickly Anglerfish, Echinophryne crassispina
John Lewis © John Lewis

Alternative Name/s

Prickly Frogfish, Thick-spined Anglerfish.

Identification

The Prickly Anglerfish has a short, deep body that is covered with tiny bifircate spines. The eyes are surrounded by a ring of close-set dermal spinules. The dorsal fin is comprised of four parts, a short illicium two separate skin-covered spines and a long-based soft-rayed fin that is separate from the caudal fin.

Colouration of the species is variable, but may be reddish, brown, pinkish or yellowish.

The species was described in 1918 by Australian Museum curators McCulloch and Waite.

Size range

It grows to about 7 cm in length.

Distribution

The species is endemic to Australia, occurring from Tasmania, Victoria and eastern South Australia.

The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums.  Source: Atlas of Living Australia.

Echinophryne crassispina

Distribution by collection data

Ozcam map of Prickly Anglerfish specimens in the Australian Museums.

What does this mean?

Habitat

It is a benthic species that is found on inshore rocky reefs down to depths of about 20 m. It is not commonly seen because it lives under rocks and ledges.

Classification

Species:
crassispina
Genus:
Echinophryne
Family:
Antennariidae
Order:
Lophiiformes
Class:
Actinopterygii
Subphylum:
Vertebrata
Phylum:
Chordata
Kingdom:
Animalia

What does this mean?

References

  1. Pietsch, T.W. in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
  2. Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
  3. Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
  4. McCulloch, A.R. & Waite, E.R. 1918. Some new and little known fishes from South Australia. Records of the South Australian Museum. 1(1): 39-78.

 


Mark McGrouther , Collection Manager, Ichthyology
Last Updated:

Tags fishes, ichthyology, Echinophryne crassispina, Antennariidae, Prickly Frogfish, Thick-spined Anglerfish, short body, bifircate spines, variable colour, red, brown, pink, yellow, < 10 cm, endemic to Australia, marine, inshore water, rocky reef, lives under rocks,

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