300 



UNDERWATER GUIDE TO MARINE LIFE 



other changes. The powers of locomotion by swimming are weak. But the powers 

 of crawHng along the substrate have become well developed. The ventral and 

 pectoral fins are inserted on angulated, armlike extensions, which makes them 

 very useful as limbs. The small gill openings are behind the pectoral fin. A third 

 adaptation is the highly developed concealing coloration and form. Almost always 

 these fishes are colored to blend with their environment and are very hard to 

 spot. They are also frequently adorned with frills, tabs, and extensions to help 

 destroy their appearance as fishes. 



It might be suspected that such great specialization in form and habits would 

 restrict the adaptability of anglers to a few habitats, but such is not the case. The 

 sea has room for sedentary angling forms in many places; anglers are found all 

 over the world, from shallow shores to the deep sea, and over many types of 

 bottoms, from cold temperatures to tropical waters. They are rare, however, on 

 the West Coast. Many of the deep-sea forms, incidentally, have a luminous lure 

 on the end of their fish pole. 



Not all anglers angle (in fact, some people say that none do, but it would 

 be hard to explain the fish pole otherwise). Some stealthily stalk their prey, and 

 even though they may sometimes angle, they do not use this means of capturing 

 prey exclusively. All anglers, however, must be close to their food before they 

 are able to suck the food into the huge mouth by a sudden, sucking gulp. 



ANGLERS: Family Lophiidae 



These are the typical large, depressed angler fishes. They are widespread in 

 the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, particularly in the temperate zones. 



ANGLER (fishing FROG, MONKFisH, allmouth) : Lofhias piscatorhis 



Size: Commonly up to 4 feet. 



Weight: Commonly up to 45 pounds. Recorded to 70 pounds. 



Distribution: Gulf of the St. Lawrence to Cape Hatteras. Also ranges to the 

 southern tip of South America, but is found only in very deep water in the 

 tropics. 



Af7gler. 



Identification: The shape is distinctive. The bumpy body is beautifullv camou- 

 flaged to look like a weed or a barnacle-encrusted rock. 



Hahits: This is an extremely voracious fish that appears to be all head. The 

 mouth is huge and beset with large, recurved teeth. This fish angles for fishes, 



