Black angler

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Black angler
Melanocetus johnsonii

Melanocetus johnsonii

Systematics
Spinefish (Acanthopterygii)
Perch relatives (Percomorphaceae)
Order : Armfinch (Lophiiformes)
Subordination : Deep sea frogfish (Ceratioidei)
Family : Melanocetidae
Genre : Black angler
Scientific name of the  family
Melanocetidae
Gill , 1878
Scientific name of the  genus
Melanocetus
Günther , 1864

The black angler or deep sea devil ( Melanocetus , Melanocetidae ( Gr .: Melanos = "black", cetus = "whale" or "sea monster")) are small deep sea fish that live in tropical to temperate zones of the Atlantic , Pacific and Indian Oceans worldwide . One species is only known from the Antarctic Ross Sea .

Appearance

Female black anglers grow to be 11 to 18 centimeters long. They have a soft, mostly scaly body that is black to dark brown in color, a large head with small eyes and a large mouth that is only equipped with long, dagger-like teeth in females. The jaw cannot be extended (not protractile). The olfactory bulb is simply built. A muscular "angel" (Illicium) formed from the first hard ray of the dorsal fin is sometimes present.

Fin formula : dorsal 12–17, anal 3–4.

Ventral fins are missing.

There is a strong sexual dimorphism among black anglers . While females can reach a length of 11 to 18 centimeters, the males are degenerate and stay at lengths below three centimeters. Your skin is prickly. However, they are not parasitic dwarf males , but move freely and feed on their own. Copepods were mainly found in their stomachs .

Like many deep-sea fish, black anglers have luminous organs . The bioluminescence is bacteria from the family Vibrionaceae produced. In a specimen of Melanocetus johnsonii that lived on for a few minutes after being caught, the esca (the “bait” on the “fishing rod”) glowed in a bright golden orange. During one minute, the light was “switched on” and “switched off” four to five times by sliding a dark pigmented skin of the Esca over it and then pulling it back again.

nutrition

The females use their luminous organs to lure their prey consisting of small crabs, lantern fish and bristle mouths . Their very elastic stomachs allow them to devour prey that is larger than themselves.

species

Melanocetus murrayi

literature

  • Kurt Fiedler: Textbook of Special Zoology, Volume II, Part 2: Fish . Gustav Fischer Verlag Jena, 1991, ISBN 3-334-00339-6

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Melanocetus rossi on Fishbase.org (English)

Web links

Commons : Deep sea devil ( Melanocetus )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files