Family LOPHIIDAE

Lophiidae

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Introduction

The Lophiidae comprise 25 species in four genera worldwide. Four species in two genera occur in Australian waters.

Goosefishes are benthic in the outer shelf and slope waters. They have a flattened head with a fishing lure and a large mouth. Although most species are smaller than 40 cm in length, one attains 1.4 m.

The lophiids were revised by Caruso & Bullis (1976) and Caruso (1981, 1983), who reached different conclusions from those of Le Danois (1973). Caruso (1985) discussed relationships within the group. Australian species were treated in Caruso (1999) and Ho et al. (2011) who provided a key to species found in the Southwest Pacific.

General References

Caruso, J.H. 1981. The systematics and distribution of the lophiid anglerfishes : 1. A revision of the genus Lophiodes with the description of two new species. Copeia 1981(3): 522-549 figs 1-21

Caruso, J.H. 1983. The systematics and distribution of the lophiid anglerfishes : 2. Revisions of the genera Lophiomus and Lophius. Copeia 1983(1): 11-30 figs 1-8

Caruso, J.H. 1985. The systematics and distribution of the lophiid anglerfishes: III. Intergeneric relationships. Copeia 1985(4): 870-875

Caruso, J.H. 1999. Family Lophiidae. pp. 2004-2012 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.

Caruso, J.H. & Bullis, H.R. 1976. A review of the lophiid angler fish genus Sladenia with description of a new species from the Caribbean Sea. Bulletin of Marine Science 26(1): 59-64 figs 1-2

Ho, H.-C., Séret, B. & Shao, K.-T. 2009. Redescription of Lophiodes infrabrunneus Smith and Radcliffe, 1912, a senior synonym of L. abdituspinus Ni, Wu and Li, 1990 Lophiiformes: Lophiidae). Zootaxa 2326: 62-68

Ho, H.-C., Séret, B. & Shao, K.-T. 2011. Records of anglerfishes (Lophiiformes: Lophiidae) from the western South Pacific Ocean, with descriptions of two new species. Journal of Fish Biology 79(7): 1722–1745

Le Danois, Y. 1973. La famille des Lophiidae (poissons pédiculates haploptérygiens) et sa répartition géographique. Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris [published 1907-1971] 3 15(159): 261-271 figs 1-3

Common Name References

Caruso, J.H. 1999. Family Lophiidae. pp. 2004-2012 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. [2004] (Anglerfishes, Monkfishes)

Sainsbury, K.J., Kailola, P.J. & Leyland, G.G. 1984. Continental Shelf Fishes of Northern and North-Western Australia. Canberra : Fisheries Information Service 375 pp. figs & pls. [78] (Handfishes)

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