#lophiiformes

Porophryne erythrodactylus

Red-fingered Anglerfish

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Status: No IUCN evaluation

Lophius budegassa

Black-bellied Angler

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Status: Data deficient

Ogcocephalus darwini

Red-lipped Batfish

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Status: Least concern

A Rare Black Sea-Devil Anglerfish Sees the Light

A viral video shows a denizen of the ocean’s twilight zone making an unusual trip to the surface

March 2025

The deep ocean is a world of extremes—intense pressure, frigid temperatures, and perpetual darkness. It is also home to astonishing life forms, uniquely adapted to survive in conditions that would be unfathomable for most creatures. Among these is the black seadevil anglerfish, Melanocetus johnsonii, a species so elusive it once seemed more folklore than fact. Recently, however, a remarkable sighting off the coast of the Spanish island of Tenerife provided scientists—and the world—a fleeting but invaluable look at this deep ocean predator far from its usual home. When footage of the black seadevil anglerfish appeared online, it quickly became a viral sensation, captivating audiences and igniting widespread curiosity. Typically found in the twilight zone at depths of 200 to 1,500 meters, this wayward anglerfish was seen swimming near the surface moments before its death—an exceedingly rare event...

Thymichthys politus has been caught red handed! T. politus is more commonly known as the red handfish, not due to any criminal record, but for its unique pectoral fins which it uses to walk along the ocean floor.

Sea Toad aka Coffinfish (Chaunacops coloratus), family Chaunacidae, order Lophiiformes, found in the deep sea, off the coast of California, USA

Smaller immature fish are bluish, and the older fish are red.

photograph by MBARI | NOAA

video: Fishing in the deep: observations of a deep-sea anglerfish (youtube.com)

Sea Toad aka Coffinfish (Chaunax umbrinus), family Chaunacidae, in the deep sea NE of the Hawaiian Islands

This is one of 25 spp. or Sea Toads/Coffinfish.

photograph via: NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer

Sea Toad aka Coffinfish (Chaunax suttkusi), family Chaunacidae, order Lophiiformes, photographed in the deep sea (~740 m | 2,428 ft) in the Gulf of Mexico.

There are several species of coffinfish, many do not have distinct common names.

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Order: Lophiiformes

Common Name: “anglerfish”

Families: 15 - Lophiidae (“goosefishes” and “monkfishes”), Antennariidae (“frogfishes”), Chaunacidae (“sea toads” and “coffinfishes”), Ogcocephalidae (“batfishes”), Caulophrynidae (“fanfin seadevils”), Neoceratidae (“Toothed Seadevil”), Melanocetidae (“black seadevils”), Himantolophidae (“footballfishes”), Diceratiidae (“double anglers”), Oneirodidae (“dreamers”), Thaumatichthyidae (“wolftrap anglers”), Centrophrynidae (“Horned Lantern Fish”), Ceratiidae (“warty seadevils”), Gigantactinidae (“whipnose anglers”), and Linophrynidae (“leftvents seadevils”)

Anatomy: gills open behind the pectoral fins (as opposed to behind the gill opening); depressible teeth can hinge back; in most species, a wide mouth extends all around the anterior circumference of the head, and bands of inwardly inclined teeth line both jaws; a modified dorsal fin ray acts as a lure to draw in prey; males are often several orders of magnitude smaller in mass than females

Diet: crustaceans, fish, worms

Habitat: marine and brackish habitats worldwide; the majority are demersal bottom-dwellers while some are pelagic; some live in the deep sea while others live in shallower waters

Evolved in: Eocene, possible Late Cretaceous

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