Teleostei (teleosts) >
Lophiiformes (Anglerfishes) >
Gigantactinidae (Whipnose anglers)
Etymology: Gigantactis: Greek, 'gigas' or 'gigantos' = gigantic + Greek, 'aktis' = ray (referring to the unusually long first dorsal-fin spine that functions as a lure in this genus) (Ref. 86949).
Eponymy: Kai L Elsman was a scientific illustrator, particularly of ichthyological and entomological subjects. The etymology says: “This species is named for the late Kai L. Elsman, whose superb illustrations have added immeasurably to this revision.” (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 0 - 3000 m (Ref. 50610). Deep-water
Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 43.5 cm SL (female)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal soft rays (total): 5; Anal soft rays: 4 - 5. Metamorphosed females distinguished by the following characteristics: have single proximal lateral pair and two distal pairs of large escal filaments and lacking distinct distal prolongation of the escal bulb; length of illicium less than 130% SL (93-126%SL); absence of escal papillae; relatively short dentary teeth (longest 3.3% DL), arranged in five or six longitudinal series; longest caudal fin rays 21-32.5% SL (Ref. 86949).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Masuda, H., K. Amaoka, C. Araga, T. Uyeno and T. Yoshino, 1984. The fishes of the Japanese Archipelago. Vol. 1. Tokai University Press, Tokyo, Japan. 437 p. (text). (Ref. 559)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Tools
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 3.1 - 11.2, mean 6.1 °C (based on 429 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01000 (0.00244 - 0.04107), b=3.04 (2.81 - 3.27), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.4 ±0.7 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate vulnerability (41 of 100).