Himantolophus groenlandicus
Atlantic Footballfish
NS
GNR
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Lophiiformes (Anglerfish)
Himantolophidae (Footballfishes)
Himantolophus
Himantolophus groenlandicus (Atlantic Footballfish)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Females are robust and deep-bodied, with illicium 28% to 54% of SL, escal bulb diameter 4.8% to 11% of SL, anterior appendage 2.7% to 16% of SL in specimens less than 100 mm SL and 16% to 42% of SL in larger specimens, distal appendage of esca 0.9% to 2.1% of SL in specimens less than 200 mm SL and 4.2% of SL in larger specimens, posterior appendage undivided proximally and simple or divided into two to six branches distally, 2 to 11 posterolateral appendages at base of bulb of esca. Pectoral fin has 14 to 18 rays, dorsal fin has 5 rays, and anal fin has 4 rays. Papillae on snout and chin are low and indistinct. Body is sparsely covered with dermal spines. Illicial stem, escal bulb, and appendages are covered with dermal spines.
Body is grayish brown, and fins are grayish brown with black tips. Escal appendages are pigmented except for tips, which are bright silvery.
Distribution
Atlantic Ocean
Habitat Associations
Between 250 and 1,800 m
Biology
Food consists of cephalopods and fishes
Maximum known size is 365 mm SL
Dwarf males of 4 cm length apparently do not become parasitically attached to females.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2013-05-09.
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species in the family by the combination of characters described
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: of no interest.
References
Uyeno et al. 1983
Bertelsen and Krefft 1988
Pietsch, T.W. (1986) Himantolophidae. p. 376. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Uyeno, T., K. Matsuura and E. Fujii (eds.) (1983) Fishes trawled off Suriname and French Guiana. Japan Marine Fishery Resource Research Center, Tokyo, Japan. 519 p.
Pietsch, T.W. (2009) Oceanic anglerfishes. Extraordinary diversity in the deep sea. Oceanic Anglerfishes, i-xii; 1-557pp.
Comments On Himantolophus groenlandicus