Goosefish Explained

Goosefishes, sometimes called anglers or monkfishes, are a family, the Lophiidae, of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes. The family includes 30 recognized species. These fishes are found in all the world's oceans except for the Antarctic Ocean.

Taxonomy

The goosefish family, Lophiidae, was first proposed as a genus in 1810 by the French polymath and naturalist Constantine Samuel Rafinesque.[1] The Lophiidae is the only family in the monotypic suborder Lophioidei, this is one of 5 suborders of the Lophiiformes.[2] The Lophioidei is considered to be the most basal of the suborders in the order.[3]

Etymology

The goosefish family, Lophiidae, takes its name from its type genus, Lophius. Lophius means "mane" and is presumably a reference to the first 3 spines of the first dorsal fin which are tentacle like, with 3 smaller spines behind them.[4]

Genera

The goosefish family, Lophiidae, contains the following extant genera:

Fossil taxa

The following extinct taxa are also among those included in the family Lophiidae:[5]

Characteristics

Goosefishes in the family Lophiidae have flattened heads and bodies covered in thin skin[8] and are further characterised by the possession of pelvic fins with the first, spiny dorsal fin having its origin close to the rear of the head and this fin is supported by between one and three spines.[2] The frontmost spine, the illicium, has a flap of flesh, the esca, at its tip and is used as a lure to attract prey to within reach of the cavernous mouth.[9] There are 4 pharyngobranchials, the 4th being toothed, and they have a large pseudobranch. The body has no scales and the frontal bones of the skull are fused. They have a very wide, flattened head, although Sladenia has a more rounded head, with well developed teeth. The lower jaw has a fringe of small flaps along its edge and these extend along the head onto the flanks. The second dorsal fin is supported by between 8 and 12 soft rays while the anal fin contains between 6 and 10 soft rays. Most taxa have 18 or 19 vertebrae but in Lophius this count is between 26 and 31.[2] The opening to the gills os located to the rear of the pectoral fin base.[10] The largest species in the family is the angler (Lophius piscatorius) which has a maximum published standard length of while the smallest is Lophiodes fimbriatus with a maximum published standard length of .

Distribution

The goosefishes, family Lophiidae are found in the temperate, tropical, and subtropical Atlantic Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Habitat and biology

The goosefishes are typically found on soft substrates on the continental margin, most frequently at depths greater than, and there are species whichhave been found at depths greater than . A few species, such as the American angler (Lophius americanus) are found in shallower waters, sometimes moving into bays and estuaries with high-salinity water in the winter.[11] At least in the genus Lophius the females release their spawn enclosed within a gelatinous mass, which has been compared to the spawn of toads in appearance, which floats. They have pelagic eggs and larvae with demersal juveniles and benthic adults.[12]

Utilisation

Goosefishes, particularly several of the large species in the genus Lophius, commonly known as monkfishes in northern Europe, are important commercially fished species.[13] The liver of monkfish, known as ankimo, is considered a delicacy in Japan.[14]

Notes and References

  1. Richard van der Laan . William N. Eschmeyer . Ronald Fricke . amp . 2014 . Family-group names of recent fishes . Zootaxa . 3882 . 2 . 1–230. 10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1 . 25543675 . free .
  2. Book: Nelson, J.S. . Joseph S. Nelson . Grande, T.C. . Wilson, M.V.H. . 2016 . Fishes of the World . 5th . . Hoboken, NJ . 508–518 . 978-1-118-34233-6 . 2015037522 . 951899884 . 25909650M . 10.1002/9781119174844.
  3. Masaki Miya . Theodore W Pietsch . Theodore Wells Pietsch III . James W Orr . Rachel J Arnold . Takashi P Satoh . Andrew M Shedlock . Hsuan-Ching Ho . Mitsuomi Shimazaki . Mamoru Yabe . Mutsumi Nishida . 2010 . Evolutionary history of anglerfishes (Teleostei: Lophiiformes): a mitogenomic perspective . BMC Evolutionary Biology . 10 . 58 . 58 . 10.1186/1471-2148-10-58. free . 20178642 . 2010BMCEE..10...58M . 2836326 .
  4. Web site: Order LOPHIIFORMES (part 1): Families LOPHIIDAE, ANTENNARIIDAE, TETRABRACHIIDAE, LOPHICHTHYIDAE, BRACHIONICHTHYIDAE, CHAUNACIDAE and OGCOCEPHALIDAE . Christopher Scharpf . 14 November 2022 . 3 March 2024 . The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database . Christopher Scharpf.
  5. Web site: Family Lophiidae Cuvier (anglerfish) . 2 March 2024 . Fossilworks.
  6. Carnevale, Giorgio . Pietsch, Theodore . & . 2012 . †Caruso, a new genus of anglerfishes from the Eocene of Monte Bolca, Italy, with a comparative osteology and phylogeny of the teleost family Lophiidae . Journal of Systematic Palaeontology . 10 . 47–72 . 10.1080/14772019.2011.565083.
  7. Web site: Pietsch, Theodore W; Giorgio Carnevale,. "A New Genus and Species of Anglerfish (Teleostei: Lophiiformes: Lophiidae) from the Eocene of Monte Bolca, Italy.". https://web.archive.org/web/20140611091351/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-2317026691.html. dead. June 11, 2014. Copeia. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists . 3 May 2012. March 14, 2011.
  8. A. C. Fariña . M. Azevedo . J. Landa . R. Duarte . P. Sampedro . G. Costas . M. A. Torres . L. Cañás . and . 2008 . Lophius in the world: a synthesis on the common features and life strategies . ICES Journal of Marine Science . 65 . 7 . 1272–1280 . 10.1093/icesjms/fsn140.
  9. Web site: Anglerfish . 5 September 2016 . 3 March 2024 . Laboratory News.
  10. Web site: Family: LOPHIIDAE, Anglerfishes, Goosefish, Goosefishes . 3 March 2024 . Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information system . Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
  11. Book: John H. Caruso . Order LOPHIIFORMES LOPHIIDAE Anglerfishes (goosefishes, monkfishes) . The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Atlantic . Volume 2: Bony fishes part 1 (Acipenseridae to Grammatidae) . . 1043–1070 . 2002. 92-5-104826-6 . FAO, Rome.
  12. Érica Pellegrini Caramaschi . Marcelo Vianna . 2009 . Biology and Ecology of Anglerfishes of the genus Lophius (Lophiidae, Lophiiformes) witgh emphasis in Lophius gastrophysus Miranda-Rineiro, 1915: Current Status . Oecologia Brasiliensis - Artigos de revisão - Edição submissões espontâneas . Pt . 11 . 4 .
  13. Web site: Lophiidae . John H. Caruso . Tree of Life web project . 2005 . 4 April 2006 .
  14. Web site: Ankimo あん肝 . 3 March 2024 . Nami . 9 December 2018 . justonecookbook.

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