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BULLETIN OF THE BUKEAU OF FISHERIES 
158. Genus LOPHIUS Linnaeus. Anglers 
Body anteriorly very broad; mouth exceedingly wide, superior; lower jaw much in advance 
of the upper; upper jaw protractile; first dorsal spine expanded at tip, overhanging the mouth, and 
forming a lure or bait for prey; gill openings below and behind the pectorals; size large; vertebree 
27 to 32. 
200. Lophius piscatorius Linnams. All-mouth; Angler; Goosefish. 
Lophius piscatorius Linnasus, Syst. Nat., ed. X, 1758, p. 236; seas of Europe. Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 2713, PI. 
CCCLXXXVIII, fig. 952. 
“Head as wide as long, and longer than body; eyes small, separated by a space about equal 
to snout; head very spinous in young, becoming less so with age; skin smooth; the head surrounded 
by a fringe of short dermal flaps, similar flaps on sides of body; a three-pointed humeral spine; 
dorsal rays III + III+10, the anterior spine with an expanded tip; anal rays 9, caudal margin 
straight; pectorals rounded, their bases constricted. 
“Color above mottled brown, below white; caudal and pectorals black-edged.” (Smith, 1907, 
p. 399.) 
Only larvae with yolk sac attached (probably just hatched) and a few others, taken at the same 
time and place but kept alive until the yolk was absorbed, are at hand. A single adult, 1,060 
millimeters (41% inches) in length, was actually observed. This fish was regarded as too large 
for preservation. The following measurements, given in millimeters, were taken: Total length, 
1,060; standard length, 835; distance between bases of pectoral fins, 780; width of mouth, 297; 
interorbital space, 100; distance from tip of snout to eye, 106; length of the first dorsal spine with 
“bait,” 88; length of the second spine, 210. The color of upper parts was variegated, principally 
light and dark brown, lower parts were white to dusky. The all-mouth is easily recognized by its 
large size, smooth skin, broad, flat head, and the enormous mouth, to which the common name has 
reference. 
The food consists of fish, crustaceans, water birds, and, in fact, any animal of suitable size. 
It is of record that a goosefish may contain food at one time half as heavy as the fish itself. One 
of us (Schroeder) observed a large goosefish swimming at the surface on Nantucket Shoals, Mass., 
August 23, 1925. This fish was easily captured and in its stomach was found a haddock 31 inches 
in length, weighing about 12 pounds. This meal was so large that the fish apparently was unable 
to leave the surface of the water. It has also been observed that this species uses its tag or “bait” 
(at the tip of the first dorsal spine) to lure fish close to its large mouth, which are then easily engulfed. 
For a complete account of the food eaten and of the insatiable appetite of this fish, see Bigelow 
and Welsh (1925, pp. 526 to 528). 
The spawning period occurs during the summer and is reported to last a long time. Recently 
hatched young, with yolk sacs attached, were taken in the mouth of the bay by the Fish Hawk on 
June 10, 1916. The eggs float near the surface and are inclosed in a gelatinous substance that 
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