Antennarius on display at the Long Island Aquarium. Photo credit: Alex Pilnick
One of my favorite exhibits to take care of at the Long Island Aquarium is our frogfish exhibit. It’s a small focus display of around 36 gallons and is home to four personable frogfish: one Antennarius maculatus, one Antennarius pictus and two Antennarius commerson.
Sargassum fish, hiding in sargassum. Weird right? Credit: Todd Gardner
The genus Antennarius contains 13 different species of frogfish. These frogfish can be found in both tropical and subtropical water; they spend most of their time in the benthos zone or floating around in Sargassum.
Besides their unusual appearance, frogfish also have another unique adaptation. Since they aren’t quick swimmers, these fish need to be able to capture prey (their diet is mainly fish and crustaceans) in a different way. They are able to do this by using a rod (called an esca) that has a lure (called an illicium) on the end. These lures can come in all shapes and sizes, but they all function the same way – the lure resembles the food their prey eats – animals like worms, small shrimps or small fish. They can consume a prey that is up to twice their size. The habitat that the frogfish comes from will effect the type of lure it has; species that live in coral and sponges often have a long lure, as they need to attract their prey from a distance, while those that live in rocky crevices generally have a short lure, because its prey will pass much closer by. Each species moves their rod and lure in a pattern specific to that species. For example A. maculatus moves its rod and lure in wavy patterns, while A. commerson moves in an up and down pattern. Frogfish can also use chemical attractants to capture prey. This can be a key survival tactic for species such as A. striatus, who forages at night. This species can also enlarge their esca by up to 30%.
Antennarius striatus, which can increase or decrease its esca by 30%
The breeding habits of the frogfish are quite interesting, though not a lot is known about frogfish spawning. From what has been documented, the courtship begins anywhere from a few days to just a few hours before the spawn. When spawning begins, the male follows behind the female, just below her cloaca; as she releases her eggs, the male swims around in a swirly pattern, fertilizing the eggs as he goes – the whole process takes about 5 seconds from start to finish. … More:
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