Common Name
Singlespot Frogfish
Year Described
Garman, 1896
Identification
Dorsal Fin: III, 12-13
Anal Fin: 7-8
Pelvic Fin: 5
Pectoral Fin: 12-14
Caudal Fin: 9 bifurcate rays
Vertebrae: 20
Body globose and rough with a large terminal mouth that is strongly oblique. About one-quarter of maxillia naked and tucked under skin. Illicium well developed and naked (14.6-19.4% SL). Esca present, simple and covered in flaps/folds. Illicium about as long as second dorsal spine and fits into groove. Eye relatively large (orbit 7.4-11.4% SL). Second dorsal spine membrane with clear naked/spiny portions separated by a cluster of spinules. Pectoral fin lobe attached. Pectoral rays simple. Pelvic fin rays bifurcate. Caudal peduncle present (rear dorsal rays not attached to caudal fin by membrane). Pseudobranch present. Dermal spinules bifurcate.
Color
Fairly dull in color: ranging from yellowish to brown with irregular darker mottling and indistinct spots. The only obvious marking is a large ocellus under the soft dorsal fin that is black ringed with yellow.
Size
Medium sized: reaches 180mm SL.
Habitat
Found on soft bottoms and coral rubble from 20-275m.
Range
Found from New York (vagrants) to Venezuela, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.
References
Pietsch, T.W. & Arnold, R.J. 2020. Frogfishes: Biodiversity, Zoogeography, and Behavioral Ecology. JHU Press.