Family CAULOPHRYNIDAE

Caulophrynidae

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Introduction

The Caulophrynidae, a family of deepsea anglerfishes, were revised by Pietsch (1979) who recognised four species in two genera worldwide. An additional species has since been described by Balushkin & Fedorov (1985). Bertelsen & Pietsch (1983) examined the single Australian species. Pietsch (2009) summarised knowledge of the group.

Deepsea anglerfishes live at depths from 10 to 1500 m. Females are characterised by having extremely elongate dorsal and anal fin rays and lacking an escal bulb. Males are smaller than, and parasitic on, females. Recorded prey items include fishes. Females attain a maximum length of 20 cm.

General References

Balushkin, A.V. & Fedorov, V.V. 1985. Caulophryne pietschi sp. nov. - a new species of Moss anglerfish (Caulophrynidae) from the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Voprosy Ikhtiologii 25(6): 1035-1037

Bertelsen, E. & Pietsch, T.W. 1983. The ceratioid anglerfishes of Australia. Records of the Australian Museum 35(2): 77-99 figs 1-18

Pietsch, T.W. 1979. Systematics and distribution of ceratioid anglerfishes of the family Caulophrynidae with the description of a new genus and species from the Banda Sea. Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History Contributions in Science 310: 1-25 figs 1-26

Pietsch, T.W. 2009. Oceanic Anglerfishes. Extraordinary Diversity in the Deep Sea. Berkeley and Los Angeles : University of California Press pp. i-xii + 1-557.

Common Name References

Anderson, M.E. & Leslie, R.W. 2001. Review of the deep-sea anglerfishes (Lophiiformes: Ceratioidei) of southern Africa. Ichthyological Bulletin of the J.L.B. Smith Institute, Grahamstown 70: 1-32 [2] (Fanfin Anglers)

Pietsch, T.W. 1999. Families Caulophrynidae, Neoceratiidae, Melanocetidae, Himantolophidae, Diceratiidae, Oneirodidae, Thaumatichthyidae, Centrophrynidae, Ceratiidae, Gigantactinidae, Linophrynidae. pp. 2026-2037 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 pp. 1397-2068. [2026] (FAO) (Deepsea Anglerfishes, Fanfin Anglerfishes)

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