Sea toad
Encyclopedia
Coffinfish are a family, Chaunacidae, of deep-sea anglerfish
es.
They are bottom-dwelling fishes found on the continental slopes of the Atlantic, Indian
and Pacific Ocean
s, at depths of up to 2000 metres (6,561.7 ft).
They have large globose bodies and a short compressed tail, and are covered with small spiny scales. The largest are about 30 centimetres (11.8 in) in length. Their first dorsal fin
ray is modified into a short bioluminescent lure which dangles forward over the mouth, which is turned upwards so as to be nearly vertical. The sensory canals of the lateral line
s are especially conspicuous.
Anglerfish
Anglerfishes are members of the teleost order Lophiiformes . They are bony fishes named for their characteristic mode of predation, wherein a fleshy growth from the fish's head acts as a lure; this is considered analogous to angling.Some anglerfishes are pelagic , while others are benthic...
es.
They are bottom-dwelling fishes found on the continental slopes of the Atlantic, Indian
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
and Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
s, at depths of up to 2000 metres (6,561.7 ft).
They have large globose bodies and a short compressed tail, and are covered with small spiny scales. The largest are about 30 centimetres (11.8 in) in length. Their first dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
ray is modified into a short bioluminescent lure which dangles forward over the mouth, which is turned upwards so as to be nearly vertical. The sensory canals of the lateral line
Lateral line
The lateral line is a sense organ in aquatic organisms , used to detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water. Lateral lines are usually visible as faint lines running lengthwise down each side, from the vicinity of the gill covers to the base of the tail...
s are especially conspicuous.
Species
There are fifteen species in two genera:- Genus Chaunacops Garman, 1899.
- Chaunacops coloratus (Garman, 1899).
- Chaunacops melanostomus (Caruso, 1989).
- Chaunacops roseus (Barbour, 1941).
- Genus ChaunaxChaunaxChaunax is a genus of bony fish in the sea toad family, Chaunacidae.-Species:Species include:...
Lowe, 1846.- Chaunax abei Le Danois, 1978.
- Chaunax breviradius Le Danois, 1978.
- Coffinfish, Chaunax endeavouri Whitley, 1929.
- Chaunax fimbriatus Hilgendorf, 1879.
- Chaunax flammeus Le Danois, 1979.
- Chaunax latipunctatus Le Danois, 1984.
- Chaunax penicillatus McCulloch, 1915.
- Pink frogmouthPink frogmouthThe pink frogmouth, Chaunax pictus, is a sea toad of the family Chaunacidae, found around the world on continental shelves in tropical and temperate waters , at depths of between 200 and 660 m...
, Chaunax pictus Lowe, 1846. - Redeye gaperRedeye gaperThe redeye gaper, Chaunax stigmaeus, is a sedentary species of anglerfish in the family Chaunacidae. It is native to deep waters in the western North Atlantic from the Georges Bank off New England southward to the Blake Plateau off South Carolina...
, Chaunax stigmaeus Fowler, 1946. - Chaunax suttkusi Caruso, 1989.
- Chaunax tosaensis Okamura & Oryuu, 1984.
- Chaunax umbrinus Gilbert, 1905.