www.frogfish.ch

The Frogfish Images of the frogfish genus Antennarius - Frogfish Slideshow The frogfish (or anglerfish, angler, fishing frog) is one of my favorite fishes so this website is dedicated entirely to this family of fishes (Antennariidae). Frogfishes are fascinating animals. They sit well camouflaged and without moving on sponges, wait in front of holes or hide between corals and wait for their prey to approach. One of its dorsal spine is converted into a lure (illicium) with a bait (esca) which looks like a small fish, a worm or a shrimp. This lure is dangled, flicked and moved around in front of the Frogfish's head. If a fish wants to catch this make-believe prey it becomes prey itself - fast as lightning the Frogfish greatly expands its oral cavity thus creating suction pressure inside the mouth and engulfs the animal. This behavior is called aggressive mimicry. With this kind of luring behavior the frogfish is a very succesfull predator. Although like a lot of divers I have started to use the nickname "Froggie" of course the frogfish is not exactly a cuddly animal - actually it is not very likable - but but how it looks and it's behavior is very interesting! So - enjoy this website, look at the largest collection of frogfish photos, read about the behavior of this amazing fish and..... get wet! Those critters are waiting for you underwater!
Frogfish book for download on www.critter.ch		Frogfish-Photos (Antennarius)
Frogfish genera other than Antennarius	Photos Baby Frogfishes	Photos special behavior
Colors and Shapes	Feeding Behavior	Reproduction
Characteristics	The 10 best known Frogfish Species	52 (54?) Frogfish Species
Distribution Identification Key	Classification Lophiiformes Phylogenetic relationships	Deepsea Anglerfishes

IMPORTANT: Based on new findings (reference) about DNA in frogfishes the nomenclatur for several frogfish species (all of the former genus Antennarius) was changed and this website corrected accordingly in 2012.
New phylogenetic relationships between frogfish genera and species (updated 2020)
list of changed species names / PDF

2021

• Finally had some time to change the Latin names of some of the frogfish species. 9 species, all formerly Antennatus are now genus Abantennarius
• The 52th frogfish species:Antennarius scaber from the Western Atlantic (formerly also A. striatus, the Hairy frogfish)
• The 51th frogfish species:Abantennarius drombus from Hawaii (formerly a sub species of A. coccineus)
• Changed the Latin names of several species in my book
• FROGFISH BOOK DOWNLOAD - click here.

2019-20

• In 2019: My last dives in Indonesia before Covid 19 (I really miss diving!!!), followed by really a lot of intense work for my job, so it took me a long time to look through my pictures.....
• In 2020: Publication of "Frogfishes" by Th. Pietsch and R.J. Arnold. Very interesting texts about behavior, biodiversity and zoogeography. With some of my pictures in the book ;>)
• The binomial nomenclature (Latin names) has changed for 9 species, added 2 new species

2018 - 10 years www.frogfish.ch!

• FROGFISH BOOK DOWNLOAD - click here. Second vesion of my frogfish book is online: 156 pages with over 250 images! Have fun!
• I looked at all images of Nudiantennarius subteres (over 100!!) and renamed them
• According to a mail from T. Pietsch the specimens of A. pictus with a black coloring and orange dots are actually juvenile Warty Frogfishes (A. maculatus).
• The 50th frogfish species: Histiophryne narungga vofrom Southern Australia (before identified as Histiophryne cf. cryptacanthus)
• Over 30 new frogfish-images from Kathi and Niki Weidinger
• New pictures of the rare Glauert's Frogfish Allenichthys glauerti from Australia

2017: New on www.frogfish.ch

• The Lembeh Frogfish (listed here for a long time as Antennatus sp.) has been identified as Nudiantennarius subteres resulting in a redescription of this species (Pietsch and Arnold 2017)
• Image of juvenile Nudiantennarius subteres (15mm) and of a yawning baby Hairy frogfish (A. striatus), only about 8mm from Maumere
• Over 70 new frogfish-images from Volker Mattke

2016: New on www.frogfish.ch

• Sensational find in Halmahera: a specimen of the Psychedelic Frogfish has been found in a different area of the Moluccs!
• Detailed images of eggs (egg yolk and fetus) of Lophiocharon lithinostomus
• New images from Volker Mattke and Zane Kamat show that Antennatus linearis can also be found in Indonesia
• Histiophryne cryptacanthus - photos of small juveniles and adults

2015: New on www.frogfish.ch

• Is it an image of the very rare Lophiocharon hutchinsi or Lophiocharon lithinostomus with the lure bitten off? Image from Colin Marshall
• Lophiocharon trisignatus by Warren Taylor

2014: New on www.frogfish.ch

• FROGFISH BOOK DOWNLOAD - click here
• The 49th frogfish species: A new small species of frogfish from Bare Island in New South Wales, Australia: Porophryne erythrodactylus
• The 48th frogfish species: A new small species of frogfish from New South Wales, Australia: Kuiterichthys pietschi

2013: New on www.frogfish.ch

• New very interesting information about the behavior of the Psychedelic Frogfish (Histiophryne psychedelica) from Ambon, Moluccas

2012: New on www.frogfish.ch

• Never seen yet - special colouring of a juvenile frogfish (A. pictus?) - Image 1, 2 and details 3, 4
• The 47th frogfish species: The bearded Histiophryne sp from Indonesia has a Latin name: Histiophryne pogonius
• French version of this website is online (l'antennaire - le poisson-grenouille)
• First sighting of a Antennarius randalli in the Red Sea!
• More amazing photos of several rare Histiophryne frogfish species: Histiophryne bougainvilli, Histiophryne cryptacanthus, Histiophryne psychedelica (Psychedelic Frogfish) and an Australian Histiophryne sp.
• Red colouring of Antennarius pauciradiatus and black colouring of Lophiocharon trisignatus confirmed
• X-rays of the jaw of several frogfishes from the California Academy of Sciences
• The 46th frogfish species: A new small frogfish species from Queensland: Histiophryne maggiewalker with exclusive photos!
• An absolute rarity - the photo of a Glauert's Frogfish, Anglerfish (Allenichthys glauerti) from South Australia!!
• A tiny white baby frogfish with bands on tail and legs: Antennatus tuberosus (Bandfin Frogfish)
• Great photos of the Ocellated Frogfish Fowlerichthys ocellatus(formerly Antennarius ocellatus) from Florida - a rare event since they tend to live beyond recreational scuba depths. Video
• Entire website adapted: new scientific names for 13 frogfish species - see phylogenetic relationships

2011: New on www.frogfish.ch

• Images of a rare black Brackish-Water Frogfish (Antennarius biocellatus) from Sail Rock (Gulf of Thailand)
• Look inside the mouth of two Hairy Frogfishes
• Histiophryne sp.2 from Taiwan? Watch this video!

2010: New on www.frogfish.ch

• New pictures of Lophiocharon lithinostomus taken in Irian Jaya, Indonesia
• New pictures of a pink Histiophryne cf cryptacanthus taken in the Komodo islands, Indonesia
• New pictures of a greenish Histiophryne cryptacanthus taken in Sulawesi, Indonesia
• Dutch Version (Nederlandse versie Hengelaarsvissen) of the main texts is online
• Several interesting videos with frogfish behavior
• Excellent pictures from the Galapagos of Antennatus sanguineus
• Tiny yellow Bougainville's Anglerfish (Australia) with eggs under its tail
• Uncommon Ambon Frogfish with eggs under its tail
• Mating Clown Frogfish (very special coloring!!)
• Several new photos of a possible undescribed species of Histiophryne with a honeycomb pattern
• Caught by fishermen in 100 m depth off the coast of Africa - an uncommon Senegal Frogfish (Antennarius senegalensis).

2009: New on www.frogfish.ch

• The 45th frogfish species: The so far undescribed frogfish-species from Ambon has a name: Histiophryne psychedelica
• Look at new photos of an undescribed frogfish species from Sydney, Australia
• Amazing photos of a frogfish caught by a lizardfish
• Is this a new color variation of the Lembeh Frogfish?
• New Frogfish-Species? Photos of several Histiophryne sp. from Indonesia and Australia
• A tiny Antennarius randalli that looks like a leaf
• Tiny baby of Antennatus tuberosus, smaller than a finger nail!
• Photos of the Australian Anglerfish Rhycherus filamentosus with egg clutch
• Photos of a clutch of eggs of Lophiocharon lithinostomus where you can actually make out the tiny frogfish-embryos

Frogfish Slideshow - Frogfish-Babies Slideshow