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{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Taxobox
{{Speciesbox
| name = Sargassum fish
| image = Histrio histrio.jpg
| image = Histrio histrio.jpg
| image_caption = A sargassumfish in sargassum. The fish's eyes are visible in the bottom center of the image
| image_width = 240 px
| status = LC
| image_caption = A well-camouflaged fish.
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| regnum = [[Animalia]]
| status_ref = <ref name = iucn>{{cite iucn |author=McEachran, J.D. |author2=Polanco Fernandez, A. |author3=Russell, B. |year=2015 |errata=2017 |title=''Histrio histrio'' |volume=2015 |page=e.T190183A115312798 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T190183A16510502.en |access-date=1 July 2024}}</ref>
| phylum = [[Chordata]]
| parent_authority = [[Johann Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim|G. Fischer]], 1813
| classis = [[Actinopterygii]]
| display_parents = 2
| ordo = [[Lophiiformes]]
| taxon = Histrio histrio
| familia = [[Antennariidae]]
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]])<ref name=WoRMS>{{cite WoRMS |author=Bailly, Nicolas |year=2010 |title=''Histrio histrio'' (Linnaeus, 1758) |id=126533 |access-date=2012-01-04 |db=}}</ref>
| genus = '''''Histrio'''''
| synonyms = Genus
| genus_authority = [[Johann Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim|G. Fischer]], 1813
{{Genus list | hidden = yes
| species = '''''H. histrio'''''
| Batrachopus | [[Georg August Goldfuss|Goldfuss]], 1820
| binomial = ''Histrio histrio''
| Capellaria | [[Johannes von Nepomuk Franz Xaver Gistel|Gistel]], 1848
| binomial_authority = ([[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758) <ref name=WoRMS>{{cite WoRMS |author=Bailly, Nicolas |year=2010 |title=''Histrio histrio'' (Linnaeus, 1758) |id=126533 |accessdate=2012-01-04 |db=}}</ref>
| Chironectes | [[Constantine Samuel Rafinesque|Rafinesque]], 1814
| Pterophryne | [[Theodore Gill|Gill]], 1863
| Pterophrynoides | Gill, 1878
}}
Species
{{Specieslist | hidden=yes
| Lophius histrio | Linnaeus, 1758
| Antennarius histrio | (Linnaeus, 1758)
| Chironectes histrio | (Linnaeus, 1758)
| Pterophryne histrio | (Linnaeus, 1758)
| Pterophrynoides histrio | (Linnaeus, 1758)
| Lophius tumidus | [[Pehr Osbeck|Osbeck]], 1765
| Chironectes tumidus | (Osbeck, 1765)
| Pterophryne tumida | (Osbeck, 1765)
| Lophius histrio marmoratus | [[Marcus Elieser Bloch|Bloch]] & [[Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider|Schneider]], 1801
| Lophius laevis | [[Pierre André Latreille|Latreille]], 1804
| Lophius raninus | [[Wilhelm Gottlieb Tilesius von Tilenau|Tilesius]], 1809
| Antennarius raninus | (Tilesius, 1809)
| Cheironectes raninus | (Tilesius, 1809)
| Histrio raninus | (Tilesius, 1809)
| Pterophryne ranina | (Tilesius, 1809)
| Lophius cocinsinensis | [[George Shaw (biologist)|Shaw]], 1812
| Chironectes variegatus | [[Constantine Samuel Rafinesque|Rafinesque]], 1814
| Pterophryne variegatus | (Rafinesque, 1814)
| Lophius gibbus | [[Samuel L. Mitchill|Mitchill]], 1815
| Antennarius gibbus | (Mitchill, 1815)
| Chironectes gibbus | (Mitchill, 1815)
| Histrio gibbus | (Mitchill, 1815)
| Pterophryne gibba | (Mitchill, 1815)
| Pterophrynoides gibbus | (Mitchill, 1815)
| Chironectes laevigatus | [[Georges Cuvier|Cuvier]], 1817
| Antennarius laevigatus | (Cuvier, 1817)
| Lophius laevigatus | (Cuvier, 1817)
| Pterophryne laevigata | (Cuvier, 1817)
| Pterophryne laevigatus | (Cuvier, 1817)
| Lophius calico | Mitchill, 1818
| Lophius geographicus | [[Jean René Constant Quoy|Quoy]] & [[Joseph Paul Gaimard|Gaimard]], 1825
| Antennarius nitidus | [[Edward Turner Bennett|Bennett]], 1827
| Chironectes nesogallicus | [[Achille Valenciennes|Valenciennes]], 1837
| Antennarius nesogallicus | (Valenciennes, 1837)
| Chironectes pictus | Valenciennes, 1837
| Histrio pictus | (Valenciennes, 1837)
| Pterophryne picta | (Valenciennes, 1837)
| Cheironectes pictus vittatus | [[John Richardson (naturalist)|Richardson]], 1844
| Chironectes arcticus | [[Magnus Wilhelm von Düben|Düben]] & [[Johan Koren|Koren]], 1846
| Chironectes barbatulus | [[Joseph Fortuné Théodore Eydoux|Eydoux]] & [[Louis François Auguste Souleyet|Souleyet]], 1850
| Antennarius barbatulus | (Eydoux & Souleyet, 1850)
| Antennarius lioderma | [[Pieter Bleeker|Bleeker]], 1864
| Chironectes sonntagii | [[Johann Wilhelm von Müller|Müller]], 1864
| Antennarius inops | [[Felipe Poey|Poey]], 1881
| Histrio jagua | [[John Treadwell Nichols|Nichols]], 1920
| Lophius pelagicus | [[Joseph Banks|Banks]], 1962
}}
| synonyms_ref = <ref name = Fishbase>{{FishBase|Histrio|histrio|month=February|year=2024}}</ref>
}}
}}


The '''sargassum fish''', '''anglerfish''', or '''frog fish''', ''Histrio histrio'',<ref name=MSIP/> is a [[frogfish]] of the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Antennariidae]], [[Monotypic taxon|the only species in its genus]]. It lives among ''[[Sargassum]]'' [[seaweed]] which floats in [[subtropical]] [[ocean]]s.<ref>{{cite book |title=Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand |last=Ayling |first=Tony |authorlink= |coauthors=Geoffrey Cox |year=1982 |publisher=William Collins Publishers |location=Auckland, New Zealand |isbn=0-00-216987-8 |page= |pages= |url= |accessdate=}}</ref> The scientific name comes from the [[Latin]] ''histrio'' meaning a stage-player or actor, and refers to the fish's feeding behaviour.<ref>[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3Dhistrio ''Histrio''] Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary. Retrieved 2012-01-04.</ref>
The '''sargassum fish''', '''anglerfish''', or '''frog fish''' ('''''Histrio histrio''''')<ref name=MSIP/> is a species of marine [[Actinopterygii|ray-finned fish]] belonging to the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Antennariidae]], the frogfishes, [[Monotypic taxon|the only species in the genus]] '''''Histrio'''''. It lives among ''[[Sargassum]]'' [[seaweed]] which floats in [[subtropical]] [[ocean]]s.<ref>{{cite book |title=Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand |last=Ayling |first=Tony |author2=Geoffrey Cox |year=1982 |publisher=William Collins Publishers |location=Auckland, New Zealand |isbn=0-00-216987-8 }}</ref> The scientific name comes from the [[Latin]] ''histrio'' meaning a stage player or actor and refers to the fish's feeding behaviour.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, histrio |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0059:entry=histrio |access-date=2012-01-04 |website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref>

==Taxonomy==
The sargassum fish was first formally [[Species description|described]] in 1758 by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in the [[10th edition of Systema Naturae]] with its [[Type locality (biology)|type locality]] given as the [[Sargasso Sea]].<ref name = CofF>{{Cof genus|genus=Histrio|access-date5 April 2024}}</ref> In 1813 [[Johann Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim]] proposed a new genus, ''Histrio'', with the Sargassum fish being the [[type species]] by [[Tautonym|tautonymy]].<ref name = CofF2>{{Cof family|family=Antennariidae|access-date=5 April 2024}}</ref> The sargassum fish is, with the family Antennariidae, most closely related to the deepwater frogfish (''[[Nudiantennarius subteres]]'').<ref name = P&A>{{cite journal |author=Theodore W. Pietsch |author-link=Theodore Wells Pietsch III |name-list-style=and |author2=Rachel J. Arnold |title=The "Lembeh Frogfish" Identified: Redescription of ''Nudiantennarius subteres'' (Smith and Radcliffe, in ) (Teleostei: Lophiiformes: Antennariidae) |journal=Copeia |volume=105 |issue=4 |pages=657–663 |year=2017 |doi=10.1643/CI-17-651}}</ref> Some authorities classify this genus in the [[subfamily]] Antennariinae within the family Antennariidae.<ref name = AHP>{{cite journal |author=Arnold, R. J. |author2=R. G. Harcourt |author3=T. W. Pietsch |name-list-style=and |year=2014 |title=A new genus and species of the frogfish family Antennariidae (Teleostei: Lophiiformes: Antennarioidei) from New South Wales, Australia, with a diagnosis and key to the genera of the Histiophryninae |journal=Copeia |volume=2014 |issue=3 |pages=534–539 |doi=10.1643/CI-13-155}}</ref> However, the 5th edition of ''[[Fishes of the World]]'' does not recognise subfamilies within the Antennariidae, classifying the family within the [[suborder]] [[Antennarioidei]] within the [[Order (biology)|order]] [[anglerfishes|Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes]].<ref name = Nelson5>{{cite book |author1=Nelson, J.S. |author1-link=Joseph S. Nelson |author2=Grande, T.C. |author3=Wilson, M.V.H. |year=2016 |title=Fishes of the World |edition=5th |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] |place=Hoboken, NJ |pages=508–518 |isbn=978-1-118-34233-6 |lccn=2015037522 |oclc=951899884 |ol=25909650M |doi=10.1002/9781119174844}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The sargassum fish has a tautonymous binomial, i.e. both the genus name and the [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]] are the same. ''Histrio'' means "harlequin", an allusion Linnaeus did not explain but he may have been alluding to its gaudy appearance, the head body and fins being marked with streaks, spots and lines in varied colours and pattern and its having appendages on the skin.<ref name = ETYFish>{{cite web |url=https://etyfish.org/lophiiformes1/ |title=Order LOPHIIFORMES (part 1): Families LOPHIIDAE, ANTENNARIIDAE, TETRABRACHIIDAE, LOPHICHTHYIDAE, BRACHIONICHTHYIDAE, CHAUNACIDAE and OGCOCEPHALIDAE |author=Christopher Scharpf |date=14 November 2022 |access-date=5 April 2024 |work=The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database |publisher=Christopher Scharpf}}</ref>


==Description==
==Description==
[[Image:Histrio histrio by A. H. Baldwin.jpg|thumb|left|Illustration of a sargassum fish.]]
[[Image:Histrio histrio by A. H. Baldwin.jpg|thumb|left|Illustration of a sargassum fish]]
''Histrio histrio'', a strange-looking fish, blends well with its surroundings in its seaweed habitat. It is laterally compressed and its length can reach {{convert|20|cm|in|abbr=on}}. The colour of the body and the large oral cavity is very variable, but is usually mottled and spotted yellow, green, and brown on a paler background, and the fins often have several dark streaks or bands. The fish can change colour rapidly, from light to dark and back again.<ref name=MSIP>[http://species-identification.org/species.php?species_group=fnam&id=1504 Frogfish (''Histrio histrio'')] Marine Species Identification Portal. Retrieved 2012-01-04.</ref> The body and the fins are covered with many weed-like protrusions, but other than these, the skin is smooth without dermal spines. The dorsal fin has three spines and 11–13 soft rays. The front spine is modified into a slender growth on the upper lip known as an illicium, which is tipped by a fleshy lump, the esca. The junction between the head and body is indistinct because there are no gill slits, the gills opening as pores near the base of the pectoral fins.<ref name=Ichthyology>[http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/sargassumfish/sargassumfish.html Biological profiles: Sargassumfish] Florida Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 2012-01-04.</ref> The anal fin has no spines and seven to 13 soft rays. The pelvic fins are large and the pectoral fins have 9-11 rays and are stalked and able to grip objects. The outer rays of the tail fin are simple, but the central rays are forked.<ref name=MSIP/><ref name=FishBase>[http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Histrio-histrio.html ''Histrio histrio'' - (Linnaeus, 1758)] FishBase. Retrieved 2012-01-04.</ref><ref name=Frogfish>[http://www.motygido.co.uk/bahamas_frogfish.htm Nature's Fast Feeder: The Frogfish] Bahamas Wildlife. Retrieved 2012-01-04.</ref>
''Histrio histrio'', a strange-looking fish, [[Camouflage|blends well with its surroundings]] in its seaweed habitat. It is laterally compressed and its length can reach {{convert|20|cm|in|abbr=on}}. The colour of the body and the large oral cavity is very variable but is usually mottled and spotted yellow, green, and brown on a paler background, and the fins often have several dark streaks or bands. The fish can change colour rapidly, from light to dark and back again.<ref name="MSIP">{{Cite web |title=Frogfish (''Histrio histrio'') |url=http://species-identification.org/species.php?species_group=fnam&id=1504 |access-date=2012-01-04 |website=Marine Species Identification Portal |archive-date=2017-12-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201080805/http://species-identification.org/species.php?species_group=fnam&id=1504 }}</ref> The body and the fins are covered with many weed-like protrusions, but other than these, the skin is smooth without [[Dermis|dermal]] spines. The [[dorsal fin]] has three spines and 11–13 soft rays. The front spine is modified into a slender growth on the upper lip known as an illicium, which is tipped by a fleshy lump, the esca. The junction between the head and body is indistinct because no [[gill slit]]s are present; the gills open as pores near the base of the [[pectoral fin]]s.<ref name="Ichthyology">{{Cite web |title=Biological profiles: Sargassumfish |url=http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/sargassumfish/sargassumfish.html |access-date=2012-01-04 |publication-place=[[Florida Museum of Natural History]] |archive-date=2011-09-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110906081701/http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/SargassumFish/Sargassumfish.html }}</ref> The anal fin has no spines and seven to 13 soft rays. The pelvic fins are large and the pectoral fins have 9–11 rays and are stalked and able to grip objects. The outer rays of the tail fin are simple, but the central rays are forked.<ref name=MSIP/><ref name= Fishbase/><ref name="Frogfish">{{Cite web |title=Nature's Fast Feeder: The Frogfish |url=http://www.motygido.co.uk/bahamas_frogfish.htm |access-date=2012-01-04 |website=Bahamas Wildlife |archive-date=2017-04-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170422004814/http://www.motygido.co.uk/bahamas_frogfish.htm }}</ref>


==Distribution and habitat==
==Distribution and habitat==
{{see also|Ocean surface ecosystem}}
''Histrio histrio'' has a [[cosmopolitan distribution]] in tropical and subtropical seas down to a depth of about {{convert|10|m}}. It is found in parts of the Atlantic Ocean and the [[Indo-Pacific]] Ocean where drifting seaweed accumulates. In the western Atlantic it ranges from the [[Gulf of Maine]] south to [[Uruguay]]. It has been reported from northern [[Norway]] but that sighting is likely to be as a result of its having been carried along by the [[North Atlantic Current]].<ref name=WoRMS/><ref name=MSIP/>

The sargassum fish has a [[cosmopolitan distribution]] in tropical and subtropical seas down to a depth of around {{convert|10|m|abbr=on}}. It is found in parts of the Atlantic Ocean and the [[Indo-Pacific]] Ocean, where drifting seaweed accumulates. In the western Atlantic, it ranges from the [[Gulf of Maine]] south to [[Uruguay]]. It has been reported from northern [[Norway]], but that sighting is likely to be as a result of its having been carried along by the [[North Atlantic Current]].<ref name=WoRMS/><ref name=MSIP/> In the Indian Ocean it is found from the [[Western Cape]] east through the [[Mascarenes]] to India and Sri Lanka and then into the Western Pacific Ocean as far east as the [[Mariana Islands]], south to as far as [[Perth]] in [[Western Australia]] and New Zealand and north to [[Hokkaido]].<ref name = Fishbase/>


==Biology==
==Biology==
The sargassum fish is a voracious ambush [[Predation|predator]] that is also a [[cannibal]].<ref name=MSIP/> One individual was dissected and found to have 16 juveniles in its stomach.<ref name=Frogfish/> It stalks its prey among the tangled weeds, relying on its [[Crypsis|cryptic]] camouflage for concealment. It can clamber through and cling to the seaweed stalks with its prehensile pectoral fins. It dangles its esca as a fishing lure to attract small fish, shrimps, and other invertebrates. It is able to dart forward to grab its prey by expelling water forcibly through its gill openings. It can expand its mouth to many times its original size in a fraction of a second, drawing prey in via [[suction feeding|suction]], and can swallow prey larger than itself.<ref name=Frogfish/>
The sargassum fish is a voracious ambush [[Predation|predator]] that is also a [[cannibal]].<ref name=MSIP/> One individual was dissected and found to have 16 juveniles in its stomach.<ref name=Frogfish/> It stalks its prey among the tangled weeds, relying on its [[Crypsis|cryptic]] camouflage for concealment. It can clamber through and cling to the seaweed stalks with its prehensile pectoral fins. It dangles its esca as a fishing lure to attract small fish, shrimp, and other invertebrates. It is able to dart forward to grab its prey by expelling water forcibly through its gill openings. It can expand its mouth to many times its original size in a fraction of a second, drawing prey in via [[suction feeding|suction]], and can swallow prey larger than itself.<ref name=Frogfish/>


It is [[dioecious]]. At breeding time, the male courts the female by following her around closely. When ready to spawn, the female ascends rapidly to the surface, where she lays a mass of eggs stuck together by gelatinous [[mucus]]. This egg raft adheres to the seaweed, where it is fertilised by the male. On hatching, each larva is surrounded by an integumentary envelope and has a large, rounded head, fully formed fins, and eyes with double notches. As the larva develops into a juvenile, this envelope fuses with the skin.<ref name=Ichthyology/>
It is [[dioecious]]. At breeding time, the male courts the female by following her around closely. When ready to spawn, the female ascends rapidly to the surface, where she lays a mass of eggs stuck together by gelatinous [[mucus]]. This egg raft adheres to the seaweed, where it is fertilised by the male. On hatching, each larva is surrounded by an integumentary envelope and has a large, rounded head, fully formed fins, and eyes with double notches. As the larva develops into a juvenile, this envelope fuses with the skin.<ref name=Ichthyology/>
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==References==
==References==
{{Commons category|Histrio histrio}}
{{reflist}}
{{Wikispecies|Histrio histrio}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1113162}}


[[Category:Antennariidae]]
[[Category:Antennariidae]]
[[Category:Fish of Hawaii]]
[[Category:Fish of Hawaii]]
[[Category:Fish described in 1758]]
[[Category:Fish of the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:Monotypic fish genera]]
[[Category:Monotypic fish genera]]
[[Category:Animals described in 1758]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
[[Category:Saltwater fish of Florida]]

Latest revision as of 00:39, 17 November 2024

Sargassum fish
A sargassumfish in sargassum. The fish's eyes are visible in the bottom center of the image
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Lophiiformes
Family: Antennariidae
Subfamily: Antennariinae
Genus: Histrio
G. Fischer, 1813
Species:
H. histrio
Binomial name
Histrio histrio
Synonyms[3]

Genus

List

Species

List
  • Lophius histrio Linnaeus, 1758
  • Antennarius histrio (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Chironectes histrio (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Pterophryne histrio (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Pterophrynoides histrio (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Lophius tumidus Osbeck, 1765
  • Chironectes tumidus (Osbeck, 1765)
  • Pterophryne tumida (Osbeck, 1765)
  • Lophius histrio marmoratus Bloch & Schneider, 1801
  • Lophius laevis Latreille, 1804
  • Lophius raninus Tilesius, 1809
  • Antennarius raninus (Tilesius, 1809)
  • Cheironectes raninus (Tilesius, 1809)
  • Histrio raninus (Tilesius, 1809)
  • Pterophryne ranina (Tilesius, 1809)
  • Lophius cocinsinensis Shaw, 1812
  • Chironectes variegatus Rafinesque, 1814
  • Pterophryne variegatus (Rafinesque, 1814)
  • Lophius gibbus Mitchill, 1815
  • Antennarius gibbus (Mitchill, 1815)
  • Chironectes gibbus (Mitchill, 1815)
  • Histrio gibbus (Mitchill, 1815)
  • Pterophryne gibba (Mitchill, 1815)
  • Pterophrynoides gibbus (Mitchill, 1815)
  • Chironectes laevigatus Cuvier, 1817
  • Antennarius laevigatus (Cuvier, 1817)
  • Lophius laevigatus (Cuvier, 1817)
  • Pterophryne laevigata (Cuvier, 1817)
  • Pterophryne laevigatus (Cuvier, 1817)
  • Lophius calico Mitchill, 1818
  • Lophius geographicus Quoy & Gaimard, 1825
  • Antennarius nitidus Bennett, 1827
  • Chironectes nesogallicus Valenciennes, 1837
  • Antennarius nesogallicus (Valenciennes, 1837)
  • Chironectes pictus Valenciennes, 1837
  • Histrio pictus (Valenciennes, 1837)
  • Pterophryne picta (Valenciennes, 1837)
  • Cheironectes pictus vittatus Richardson, 1844
  • Chironectes arcticus Düben & Koren, 1846
  • Chironectes barbatulus Eydoux & Souleyet, 1850
  • Antennarius barbatulus (Eydoux & Souleyet, 1850)
  • Antennarius lioderma Bleeker, 1864
  • Chironectes sonntagii Müller, 1864
  • Antennarius inops Poey, 1881
  • Histrio jagua Nichols, 1920
  • Lophius pelagicus Banks, 1962

The sargassum fish, anglerfish, or frog fish (Histrio histrio)[4] is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes, the only species in the genus Histrio. It lives among Sargassum seaweed which floats in subtropical oceans.[5] The scientific name comes from the Latin histrio meaning a stage player or actor and refers to the fish's feeding behaviour.[6]

Taxonomy

[edit]

The sargassum fish was first formally described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae with its type locality given as the Sargasso Sea.[7] In 1813 Johann Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim proposed a new genus, Histrio, with the Sargassum fish being the type species by tautonymy.[8] The sargassum fish is, with the family Antennariidae, most closely related to the deepwater frogfish (Nudiantennarius subteres).[9] Some authorities classify this genus in the subfamily Antennariinae within the family Antennariidae.[10] However, the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not recognise subfamilies within the Antennariidae, classifying the family within the suborder Antennarioidei within the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes.[11]

Etymology

[edit]

The sargassum fish has a tautonymous binomial, i.e. both the genus name and the specific name are the same. Histrio means "harlequin", an allusion Linnaeus did not explain but he may have been alluding to its gaudy appearance, the head body and fins being marked with streaks, spots and lines in varied colours and pattern and its having appendages on the skin.[12]

Description

[edit]
Illustration of a sargassum fish

Histrio histrio, a strange-looking fish, blends well with its surroundings in its seaweed habitat. It is laterally compressed and its length can reach 20 cm (7.9 in). The colour of the body and the large oral cavity is very variable but is usually mottled and spotted yellow, green, and brown on a paler background, and the fins often have several dark streaks or bands. The fish can change colour rapidly, from light to dark and back again.[4] The body and the fins are covered with many weed-like protrusions, but other than these, the skin is smooth without dermal spines. The dorsal fin has three spines and 11–13 soft rays. The front spine is modified into a slender growth on the upper lip known as an illicium, which is tipped by a fleshy lump, the esca. The junction between the head and body is indistinct because no gill slits are present; the gills open as pores near the base of the pectoral fins.[13] The anal fin has no spines and seven to 13 soft rays. The pelvic fins are large and the pectoral fins have 9–11 rays and are stalked and able to grip objects. The outer rays of the tail fin are simple, but the central rays are forked.[4][3][14]

Distribution and habitat

[edit]
See also: Ocean surface ecosystem

The sargassum fish has a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical and subtropical seas down to a depth of around 10 m (33 ft). It is found in parts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Indo-Pacific Ocean, where drifting seaweed accumulates. In the western Atlantic, it ranges from the Gulf of Maine south to Uruguay. It has been reported from northern Norway, but that sighting is likely to be as a result of its having been carried along by the North Atlantic Current.[2][4] In the Indian Ocean it is found from the Western Cape east through the Mascarenes to India and Sri Lanka and then into the Western Pacific Ocean as far east as the Mariana Islands, south to as far as Perth in Western Australia and New Zealand and north to Hokkaido.[3]

Biology

[edit]

The sargassum fish is a voracious ambush predator that is also a cannibal.[4] One individual was dissected and found to have 16 juveniles in its stomach.[14] It stalks its prey among the tangled weeds, relying on its cryptic camouflage for concealment. It can clamber through and cling to the seaweed stalks with its prehensile pectoral fins. It dangles its esca as a fishing lure to attract small fish, shrimp, and other invertebrates. It is able to dart forward to grab its prey by expelling water forcibly through its gill openings. It can expand its mouth to many times its original size in a fraction of a second, drawing prey in via suction, and can swallow prey larger than itself.[14]

It is dioecious. At breeding time, the male courts the female by following her around closely. When ready to spawn, the female ascends rapidly to the surface, where she lays a mass of eggs stuck together by gelatinous mucus. This egg raft adheres to the seaweed, where it is fertilised by the male. On hatching, each larva is surrounded by an integumentary envelope and has a large, rounded head, fully formed fins, and eyes with double notches. As the larva develops into a juvenile, this envelope fuses with the skin.[13]

This fish is preyed on by larger fish and sea birds. To avoid underwater threats, it can leap above the surface onto mats of weed. It can survive for some time out of water.[13]

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Histrio histrio.
Wikispecies has information related to Histrio histrio.
  1. ^ McEachran, J.D.; Polanco Fernandez, A.; Russell, B. (2017) [errata version of 2015 assessment]. "Histrio histrio". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T190183A115312798. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T190183A16510502.en. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b Bailly, Nicolas (2010). "Histrio histrio (Linnaeus, 1758)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
  3. ^ a b c Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Histrio histrio". FishBase. February 2024 version.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Frogfish (Histrio histrio)". Marine Species Identification Portal. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
  5. ^ Ayling, Tony; Geoffrey Cox (1982). Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand. Auckland, New Zealand: William Collins Publishers. ISBN 0-00-216987-8.
  6. ^ "Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, histrio". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
  7. ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Histrio". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences.
  8. ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Antennariidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  9. ^ Theodore W. Pietsch and Rachel J. Arnold (2017). "The "Lembeh Frogfish" Identified: Redescription of Nudiantennarius subteres (Smith and Radcliffe, in ) (Teleostei: Lophiiformes: Antennariidae)". Copeia. 105 (4): 657–663. doi:10.1643/CI-17-651.
  10. ^ Arnold, R. J.; R. G. Harcourt; and T. W. Pietsch (2014). "A new genus and species of the frogfish family Antennariidae (Teleostei: Lophiiformes: Antennarioidei) from New South Wales, Australia, with a diagnosis and key to the genera of the Histiophryninae". Copeia. 2014 (3): 534–539. doi:10.1643/CI-13-155.
  11. ^ Nelson, J.S.; Grande, T.C.; Wilson, M.V.H. (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 508–518. doi:10.1002/9781119174844. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6. LCCN 2015037522. OCLC 951899884. OL 25909650M.
  12. ^ Christopher Scharpf (14 November 2022). "Order LOPHIIFORMES (part 1): Families LOPHIIDAE, ANTENNARIIDAE, TETRABRACHIIDAE, LOPHICHTHYIDAE, BRACHIONICHTHYIDAE, CHAUNACIDAE and OGCOCEPHALIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  13. ^ a b c "Biological profiles: Sargassumfish". Florida Museum of Natural History. Archived from the original on 2011-09-06. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
  14. ^ a b c "Nature's Fast Feeder: The Frogfish". Bahamas Wildlife. Archived from the original on 2017-04-22. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
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