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STRIPED ANGLERFISH FACTS |
Description
The Striped Anglerfish is variable in colour and can be light yellow, orange, green, gray or brown. IT has black stripes or elongated blotches. The eye has prominent lines radiating from it. The body is covered with whisker-like filaments for camouflage. Anglerfishes attract their prey with a lure made up of a bait-like appendage (called the esca) on a stalk (called the illicium). The esca looks like prey, such as worms or crustacean. The anglerfish moves the lure in front of its mouth to attract prey. The esca of the Striped Anglerfish is made up of 2 - 7 worm-like appendages. When not in use, the lure is held flat against the head.
Size
length to 25cm
Habitat
found on rocky reefs and coral reefs at depths from 10m to 219m. The Striped Anglerfish is known from estuarine water less than 1 m in depth to marine waters more than 200 m deep.
Breeding
Oviparous. Eggs are contained in ribbon-like sheath or mass of gelatinous mucus.
Range
The Striped Anglerfish is found in marine waters of the tropical and temperate Indo-Pacific. In Australia it is found from the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia, around the Northern Territory, Queensland and south to around Wollongong in New South Wales.
Classification
| Class: | Actinopterygii | | Order: | Lophiiformes | | Family: | Antennariidae | | Genus: | Antennarius | | Species: | striatus | | Common Name: | Striped Anglerfish |
Relatives in same Genus
Painted Anglerfish (A. pictus)
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