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Metamorphosed females with frontal, sphenotic, preopercular, articular, angular, and symphysial spine of lower jaw present but all relatively short, blunt, and concealed by skin, except for those of sphenotic and preopercle. Jaw teeth arranged in overlapping oblique series, length of teeth in each series increasing posteriorly; teeth in each premaxilla 14, arranged in four series; 11 teeth in each dentary, arranged in three series; two pairs of vomerine teeth, those of anterior pair about 1.0 mm long, longest tooth of posterior pair 4.0 mm.
Dorsal-fin rays 3; anal-fin rays 3; pectoral-fin rays 17, 17. Length of illicium 29.8% SL; length of escal bulb 9.8% SL; diameter of escal bulb 5.0% SL; length of longest escal filament 10.0% SL; escal darkly pigmented except for transparent distal one-third, through which a black photophore appears; pore of photophore opening slightly behind tip of bulb surrounded by circular disc of reflecting silvery tissue; lateral surface of proximal one half of bulb bearing three stout filaments on each side, forming symmetrical pairs of which lowermost is placed at base of bulb; all escal filaments pigmented and approximately equal in length (about 10% SL), those of upper and lower pair cylindrical and tapering, those of median pair distally compressed and fringed.
Barbel relatively short, length 19.3% SL, unbranched and pigmented throughout length; posterior surface of distal one-third of barbel with seven white tubercles raised on short papillae, and a more irregular group of about six tubercles more or less embedded in transparent tip.
Color of female uniformly brownish black except for white tips of esca, barbel, and caudal-fin rays.
Parasitic male attached to the belly of female, about 10 mm below and slightly in front of sinistral anus, by separate outgrowths from snout and tip of lower jaw; sphenotic spines sharply pointed, piercing skin, upper denticular triangular , bearing three hooked denticles and a horseshoe-shaped lower denticular, with indications of six denticles embedded in tissue connecting female and male (determined by X-ray); eyes without evidence of degeneration, diameter 0.95 mm (9% SL), diameter of lens 0.8 mm (7.5 % SL); olfactory lamellae 8 on each side; greatest diameter of posterior nostrils about 10% SL about twice that of anterior nostrils; caudal peduncle with distinct concentration of relatively large subdermal melanophores; fin-ray counts as for female; testes about 2 mm long and 1.5 mm wide.
Metamorphosed females of Linophryne trewavasae differ from those of all other species of the genus in details of escal and hyoid barbel morphology: escal bulb egg-shaped without distal appendages, bearing three pairs of stout filaments on posterolateral surface of proximal half of bulb, median pair distally compressed and fringed. Barbel short (about 20% SL), undivided, with distal series of white tubercles; frontal spines small and blunt. Parasitic male with sphenotic spines pointed, olfactory lamellae 8, caudal peduncle with distinct concentration of subdermal pigment.
Linophryne trewavasae is known only from the holotype collected in the Banda Sea with a net fished open between the surface and 1500 m.
Pietsch TW. 2009. Oceanic Anglerfishes: Extraordinary Diversity in the Deep Sea. Berkley: University of California Press. 638 p.
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 a single metamorphosed female (73.5 mm), with a parasitic male (10.7 mm).
Southeast Asian Bioluminescence Expedition, ALPHA HELIX station 84, 5°04.5'S, 130°12.0'E, RMT-8 oblique haul, 0–1500 m, 28 April 1975.
Holotype of Linophryne trewavasae: LACM 36116-5, female, 73.5 mm, with parasitic male, 10.7 mm.
