Prickly Anglerfish, Echinophryne crassispina McCulloch & Waite, 1918

Scientific name: Echinophryne crassispina
Alternative name/s:
Prickly Frogfish, Thick-spined Anglerfish.
  • Author(s)
    Mark McGrouther
  • Updated
    19/04/21
  • Read time
    2 minutes
Prickly Anglerfish, <i>Echinophryne crassispina</i> Click to enlarge image
A male Prickly Anglerfish guarding eggs at Edithburgh, South Australia, 2006. Image: John Lewis
© John Lewis

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Genus
    Echinophryne
    Species
    crassispina
    Family
    Antennariidae
    Order
    Lophiiformes
    Class
    Actinopterygii
    Subphylum
    Vertebrata
    Phylum
    Chordata
    Kingdom
    Animalia
  • Size Range
    It grows to about 7 cm in length.

Introduction

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

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.

Prickly Anglerfish, Echinophryne crassispina
Prickly Anglerfish, Echinophryne crassispina

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.

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.

Distribution data sourced from the Atlas of Living Australia

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.