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Frontal spines well developed, sharp, piercing skin; lower jaw with a short symphysial spine; sphenotic, preopercular, and angular spines well developed, sharp, piercing skin; vomer with two pairs of teeth (plus one tiny tooth lying just in front of pair of right side); each premaxilla with 20 teeth in four series (2 + 3 + 5 + 10), left dentary with 11 teeth, right dentary with 12 teeth, each in three series (3 + 3-4 + 5); longest premaxillary tooth (second tooth of first series) 6.7% SL; longest dentary tooth (third tooth of first series ) 12.2% SL; dorsal-fin rays 3; anal-fin rays 3; pectoral-fin rays 16.
Length of illicium about 22% SL; length of escal bulb about 14% SL; length of distal prolongation of esca about 7% SL.
Parasitic male without apparent degeneration of eyes or olfactory organs, and without swelling of abdomen; attached to belly of female below and slightly in front of anus; a relatively weak concentration of subdermal pigment on caudal peduncle (similar concentration of pigment on peduncle of female, but hardly distinguishable, being mixed with light, evenly distributed secondary pigmentation).
Metamorphosed females of Linophryne argyresca differ from those of all other species of the genus in the following details of escal and hyoid barbel morphology: escal bulb with a large, oblong, internally silvery distal prolongation (as long as diameter of bulb), with a terminal cluster of about seven branched filaments inside a circle of seven shorter filaments; on each side at base of distal prolongation a small, distally fringed lobe; posterior escal appendage compressed, with fringed edge. Primary stem of barbel unbranched, darkly pigmented, length 18% SL, with an unpigmented, slightly tapering, filamentous distal prolongation, flanked on each side by a similar filamentous appendage; length of each lateral branch about 12% SL; distal end of all three terminal filaments bearing a few internal photophores. In addition, the single metamorphosed female of Linophryne argyresca differs from all other females of Linophryne, except for L. quinqueramosa and some specimens of L. algibarbata (see Bertelsen, 1980b:239), in having a pair of small pointed frontal spines piercing the skin above and slightly in front of the eyes. Parasitic male with pointed sphenotic spines and a distinct, but weak concentration of subdermal pigment on caudal peduncle.
The only known specimen of L. argyresca was collected in the Eastern Tropical Indian Ocean somewhere between the surface and about 1750 m.
Pietsch TW. 2009. Oceanic Anglerfishes: Extraordinary Diversity in the Deep Sea. Berkley: University of California Press. 638 p.
Although known from only a single fused pair, reproductive characters can be inferred from closely related congeners.
Parasitized females have a single attached male, in contrast to the linophrynid genera Haplophryne and Borophryne (and the ceratiid genera Ceratias and Cryptopsaras) in which females with two or more males are known. In all known cases parasitized females of the family, the male is directed forward with respect to the female and attached in nearly the same position on the ventral midline of the female, somewhat in front of and below the sinistral anus; with only one or two exceptions, all are attached upside down with respect to the female. This is again in contrast to the linophrynid genera Haplophryne and Photocorynus (and the ceratiid genus Cryptopsaras) in which males may attach in any direction and almost anywhere on the head and body of the female. In all known examples, the males are attached by both upper and lower jaws, leaving prominent openings on each side that lead into their mouths and opercular cavities; there is no papilla of tissue projecting from the female into the mouth of the male.
Known from only a single metamorphosed female (61 mm), with parasitic male (12 mm).
DANA station 3904(1), Indian Ocean, 5°18'N, 90°55'W, 3500 m wire, 1745 hr, 18 November 1929.
Holotype of Linophryne argyresca: ZMUC P92142, 61 mm, with 12-mm parasitic male.
