Histrio
| Sargassum fish | |
|---|---|
 |
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| A well-camouflaged fish. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Lophiiformes |
| Family: | Antennariidae |
| Genus: |
Histrio G. Fischer, 1813 |
| Species: | H. histrio |
| Binomial name | |
|
Histrio histrio Linnaeus, 1758 |
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The sargassum fish, anglerfish, or frog fish, Histrio histrio, is a frogfish of the family Antennariidae, the only species in its genus. It lives among Sargassum seaweed which floats in subtropical oceans. The scientific name comes from the Latin histrio meaning a stage-player or actor, and refers to the fish's feeding behaviour.
Histrio histrio, a strange-looking fish, blends well with its surroundings in its seaweed habitat. It is laterally compressed and its length can reach 20 cm (7.9 in). The colour of the body and the large oral cavity is very variable, but is usually mottled and spotted yellow, green, and brown on a paler background, and the fins often have several dark streaks or bands. The fish can change colour rapidly, from light to dark and back again. The body and the fins are covered with many weed-like protrusions, but other than these, the skin is smooth without dermal spines. The dorsal fin has three spines and 11–13 soft rays. The front spine is modified into a slender growth on the upper lip known as an illicium, which is tipped by a fleshy lump, the esca. The junction between the head and body is indistinct because there are no gill slits, the gills opening as pores near the base of the pectoral fins. The anal fin has no spines and seven to 13 soft rays. The pelvic fins are large and the pectoral fins have 9-11 rays and are stalked and able to grip objects. The outer rays of the tail fin are simple, but the central rays are forked.
Histrio histrio has a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical and subtropical seas down to a depth of about 10 metres (33 ft). It is found in parts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Indo-Pacific Ocean where drifting seaweed accumulates. In the western Atlantic it ranges from the Gulf of Maine south to Uruguay. It has been reported from northern Norway but that sighting is likely to be as a result of its having been carried along by the North Atlantic Current.
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