Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Lophiiformes (Anglerfishes) > Himantolophidae (Footballfishes)
Etymology: Himantolophus: Greek, himas or himantos = leather strap, thong or leash (referring to the thick leathery illicium) + Greek, lopho or lophio = crest or tuft (referring to the baited illicium projecting from the head) (Ref. 86949).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 0 - 1900 m (Ref. 40877). Deep-water

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Western Indian Ocean: Natal, South Africa. Also known from the western and central Pacific and northwestern and central Atlantic.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 20.8 cm SL (female)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal soft rays (total): 5; Anal soft rays: 4. Distinguishing characteristics of metamorphosed female: length of illicium 29-35% SL; each primary branch of distal escal appendage with posterior side branch situated near base; length of distal escal appendage increasing from 9% SL in 2.7 cm specimens to 54% SL in 5.2 cm specimen and 72% SL in 9 cm specimen; posterior side branch of distal escal appendage length increasing from 4.3% SL in 2.7 cm specimens to 30% SL in 5.2-9 cm specimens; distal escal appendage lacking small dermal spinules (Ref. 86949).

Males unknown (Ref. 40877). Minimum depth from Ref. 58018. Most recent record was from 29°25'S that was recovered from the stomach of a beached sperm whale (Ref. 85522).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Anderson, M.E. and R.W. Leslie, 2001. Review of the deep-sea anglerfishes (Lophiiformes: Ceratioidei) of southern Africa. Ichthyological Bulletin of the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology 70:30 p. (Ref. 40877)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 04 February 2009

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
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Ecology
Ecology

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Length-weight rel.
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Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 5.9 - 16.7, mean 10.2 °C (based on 390 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01995 (0.00906 - 0.04395), b=3.01 (2.83 - 3.19), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 4.0 ±0.54 se; based on food items.

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low vulnerability (15 of 100).

Himantolophus cornifer Bertelsen & Krefft, 1988