Senegalese Frogfish

Diagnosis: body short and globose; mouth large with many small, villiform teeth; skin rough, covered with bifurcate dermal spinules; pectoral-fin lobes attached to sides of body; illicium at most as long as second dorsal-fin spine; large, conspicuous ocellus below dorsal fin on either side of body (Ref. 57225).Description: filaments of lure distinctly shorter than shaft of illicium; illicium 9.0-13.6% of SL and almost as long as second dorsal-fin spine which is curved backwards and attains 8.0-13.5% of SL; third dorsal-fin spine also curved backwards, attaining 17.5-25.9% of SL; eye diameter 3.9-6.3% of SL (Ref. 57225).Coloration: highly variable (beige, brown, blackish, yellowish or pinkish) in preserved specimens, with body and fins brown-spotted except on inner side of paired fins; dark ocellus surrounded by bright ring located on either side of body below dorsal-fin base; there may be up to seven irregular-shaped dark spots behind and below insertion points of pectoral-fin lobes; also, up to six round spots on anal fin (Ref. 57225).

Oviparous.

Dorsal spines (total): 3; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11 - 14; Analspines: 0; Analsoft rays: 6 - 10

A carnivore (Ref. 9137).

Neritic species (Ref. 10959). Occurs in marine or brackish water (Ref. 57225).

fisheries:

Fowlerichthys senegalensis, known as the Senegalese frogfish, is a species of fish in the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. It is native to the Eastern Atlantic, where it may be found off the African coast from Morocco to Angola, including Senegal, the country for which it is named. It occurs at a depth range of 10 to 80 m (33 to 262 ft), and it has been reported from both marine and brackish environments. It is a demersal oviparous fish that reaches 28.5 cm (11.2 inches) SL.