Lophius

Monkfish Temporal range: 48.6–0  Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Lutetian to present[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Lophiiformes
Suborder:	Lophioidei
Family:	Lophiidae
Genus:	Lophius Linnaeus, 1758
Type species
Lophius piscatorius Linnaeus, 1758
Species
See text
Synonyms[2]
Discolophius Fowler, 1943 Lophidius Rafinesque, 1815 Lophiopsis Guichenot, 1867

Members of the genus Lophius, also sometimes called monkfish, fishing-frogs, frog-fish, and sea-devils, are various species of

Taxonomy

Lophius was first proposed as a genus by

Lophius means "mane" and is presumably a reference to the first three spines of the first dorsal fin which are tentacle like, with three smaller spines behind them.[6]

Species

The seven recognized extant species in this genus are:^[7]

Image	Scientific Name	Common Name	Distribution
	Lophius americanus Valenciennes, 1837	American angler	western Atlantic from Newfoundland and Quebec south to northern Florida
	Spinola , 1807	blackbellied angler	Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic
	Lophius gastrophysus A. Miranda-Ribeiro, 1915	blackfin goosefish	coasts of northern South America, Central America, Aruba, Cuba, and Costa Rica
	Lophius litulon D. S. Jordan, 1902	yellow goosefish	Japan, Korea, and the Yellow and East China seas.
	Lophius piscatorius Linnaeus, 1758	angler, European angler or common monkfish	northeast Atlantic, from the Barents Sea to the Strait of Gibraltar, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea
	Lophius vaillanti Regan, 1903	shortspine African angler	Eastern Atlantic
	Lophius vomerinus Valenciennes, 1837	devil anglerfish	Durban, South Africa as well as northern Namibia where it is found in Indian and Atlantic Oceans

Description

Lophius monkfishes are characterised by having highly compressed heads and bodies. The frontal ridges have a covering of low, blunt knobs or cross ridges. There is a large spine on the

The black (L. budegassa) and white (L. piscatorius) anglerfish both live in shallow, inshore waters from 800 metres (2,600 ft) to deeper waters (greater than 1,000 metres or 3,300 feet).^[10] These two species are very similar, with only a few distinctions between them. These include the colour of the peritoneum (black for L. budegassa and white for L. piscatorius) and the number of rays in the second dorsal fin (L. budegassa, 9–10 and L. piscatorius, 11–12).^[11] Also, minor differences in their distribution occur. Black anglerfish tend to have a more southern distribution (Mediterranean and eastern North Atlantic from the British Isles to Senegal). In contrast, the white anglerfish are distributed further north (Mediterranean, Black Sea and eastern North Atlantic from the Barents Sea to the Strait of Gibraltar).^[11] Despite these differences, the overall distribution of the black and white anglerfish tend to overlap greatly.^[11] A map of the distribution of anglerfish in the waters surrounding Europe and North Africa can be found in the external links section. The movements of both species of anglerfish indicate mixing of both northern and southern species could have strong implications for the geographical boundaries of the stocks from a management perspective.^[10]

Commercial use

Two species, Lophius piscatorius and Lophius budegassa, found in north-western Europe are referred to as monkfish, with L. piscatorius by far the most common species around the British Isles and of major fishery interest. Under UK Labelling Regulations, the phrase "monkfish" is only permitted for Lophiodes caulinaris, Lophius americanus, Lophius budegassa and Lophius piscatorius.^[12]

Both species of Lophius are important because they are commercially valuable species usually caught by trawl and gillnetting fleets.^[10]

Concern is expressed over the sustainability of monkfish fishing.^[13] The method most commonly used to catch monkfish, beam trawling, has been described as damaging to seafloor habitats. In February 2007, the British supermarket chain Asda banned monkfish from their stores.^[14]

References