Antennarius coccineusHawaiian frogfish
Identification
Antennarius coccineus (Hawaiian frogfish)
Location
Luzon Island, Philippines
Caption
This highly unusual predator is a type of anglerfish, commonly known in this case as a "frogfish" (Antennarius coccineus). I found it diving off a vertical wall in about 35 feet of water, during a night dive at one of the Capone Islands. The frogfish was perfectly motionless as I passed by, looking for small subjects (this fish is about 5 inches long). At first, I didn't notice it, since its reddish-orange color blended well with the surrounding orange sponges. Luckily I was scanning the reef carefully, paying close attention as the beam from my dive light passed a second time. I noticed the frogfish and took a series of shots it crawled at an almost imperceptible pace across the reef wall.
- Subject
- Live Animal
- Type
- Photo
- Life Stages And Gender
- Adult/Sexually Mature
- Anatomy
- Coloration/Patterning :: Cryptic
Contributors
Jeffrey N. Jeffords (photographer; copyright holder; identification)
Conditions of Use
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.