WHATSTHATFISH
Bony fish

Painted Frogfish

Antennarius pictus

Also known as: Black Angler, Devil Fish, Painted Angler, Painted Anglerfish, Spotted Frogfish

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2022
Adult
@symbion · Indonesia · July 20061 / 69

Showing details for the adult stage. Switch stages to see how it differs.

01

Overview

Found singly, pairs or in trios, sitting amongst corals, jetties, pylons, ropes, sponges, etc, camouflaged with the colour and pattern of their seat and surroundings, over sheltered reefs.

Length 30cm

Frogfish are masters at camouflage and will change to match their surroundings. They lure their prey with a stalk between their eyes that copies the movements of its prey. Their mouth can open and expand to the width of their bodies to engulf its prey.

02

How to identify

03

Habitat & where to find it

Where the adult stage lives, and where its photos were taken.

  • Range · Indo-Pacific
  • Country only · 69
LIVES IN

Found singly, pairs or in trios, sitting amongst corals, jetties, pylons, ropes, sponges, etc, camouflaged with the colour and pattern of their seat and surroundings, over sheltered reefs.

04

Adult photos 69

05

Discussion 2

Comments are checked by a moderator before they appear.

2 comments

  • jpc· 10 May 2014

    Nice! Never seen such a nice Frogfish before!

  • fishx6Top Contributor· 16 Aug 2009

    Thank you to symbion for this wondeful picture of a painted frogfish in its cream phase.

    Helpful
ALL STAGES
FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

Deep dive

Taxonomy

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classTeleostei
  4. orderLophiiformes
  5. familyAntennariidae
  6. genusAntennarius
  7. speciesAntennarius pictus (Shaw, 1794)

SourcesWoRMSFishBase

06

More in the family

Frogfishes (Antennariidae)