Sea devils (anglers). Deep-sea anglerfish mating captured on video for the first time

At the bottom of the most deep seas and oceans, where the water is icy, the pressure reaches colossal values, and the amount of food is minimal, deep-sea angler fish (lat. Ceratioidei). Their entire existence is shining example how living organisms can adapt to even the harshest and most unfavorable conditions life.

Deep sea anglerfish- one of the most amazing sea creatures, living at a depth of one and a half to three kilometers. Business card these fish are a modified ray dorsal fin, acting as bait and shaped like a fisherman’s fishing rod. It is precisely this feature of their appearance that angler fish owe their name.

Theodore W. Pietsch

At the end of a fishing rod (illicia), hanging over a huge mouth with sharp needle-shaped teeth, there is a small skin outgrowth (esca), filled with millions of luminous bacteria. It is to its light, like moths to a flame, that other, small and not so small, inhabitants of the ocean floor float. To enhance the effect produced by the fish, the anglerfish is able to control the brightness and frequency of the flashes. To do this, it is enough for him to narrow or expand the blood vessels, regulating the amount of oxygen entering the escus, which “ignites” or, conversely, “extinguishes” the luminous bacteria.

U different types For anglers, the principle of operation and design of fishing rods can vary - from the simplest, hanging over the head, to more complex ones, capable of extending out of the channel on the back and retracting back, bringing the future victim directly into the mouth.

Anglerfish, living at the greatest depths (more than 3,500 meters), prefer not to waste energy and hunt while lying on the bottom, and for greater convenience, fishing rods are located directly in their huge toothy mouth. Thanks to their dark coloration and rough, warty skin, the deep-sea predators are almost invisible on the seabed.

Anglerfish are so voracious that they are ready to eat everything that fits into their toothy mouth. But the problem is that their mouth is much larger than their esophagus, and these fish are unable to swallow prey three times their size. It will also not be possible to spit out a large prey back - the teeth get in the way, and very often such attempts to swallow overwhelming prey become the last, unsuccessful, meal in the life of an angler.

However, the most amazing quality of anglerfish is the way they reproduce. Males, whose sizes are tens of times smaller than the size of females, voluntarily agree to transform from full-fledged individuals into primitive appendages that produce sperm.

Justin Marshall/AFP - Getty Images

The female is capable of carrying up to six males, always and everywhere providing herself with a constant supply of sperm, freeing her from the need to regularly search for partners.

I’ll tell you today about one creepy but charming inhabitant of the depths of the sea - deep sea anglerfish . When you mention this creature, you immediately remember a scene from the cartoon about Nemo the fish.

This picture is not far from the truth :)

Deep sea anglerfish or ceratiformes (lat. Ceratioidei) - a suborder of deep-sea fish from the order of anglerfish, whose representatives live at great depths of the World Ocean.

Deep-sea anglerfish constantly live at a depth of about 1500 - 3000 m. They are characterized by a spherical, laterally flattened shape and the presence of a “fishing rod” in females. Their bare skin is black or dark brown; in some species, the skin may be covered with transformed scales - spines and plaques.

Traditionally, deep-sea fish are thought to have bloated bodies with bulging eyes and ugly shapes, but this is not true. Deep-sea fish take on the appearance of bloated bodies when they are raised to the surface in fishing nets, due to excess internal pressure, which at depths of 1500-3000 meters is 150-300 atmospheres.

Anglerfish are characterized by pronounced sexual dimorphism. Females are much larger than males and are predators. They have big mouth, powerful teeth and a highly stretchable stomach. The first ray of the dorsal fin of females is transformed into a “fishing rod” (illicium) with a luminous “bait” (esca) at the end. But sexual dimorphism is most pronounced in size. The length of females varies from 5 cm to 1 m, the length of males - from 16 mm to 4 cm.

Illicium in females various types varies in shape and size and is equipped with various skin appendages. In some species, the illicium is capable of extending and retracting into a special canal on the back. Luring in prey, the anglerfish gradually moves the luminous bait towards its mouth until it swallows its prey.

The luminous organ is a gland filled with mucus containing bioluminescent bacteria. Thanks to the expansion of the walls of the arteries that supply the gland with blood, the fish can arbitrarily cause the glow of bacteria, which require an influx of oxygen for this, or stop it, narrowing the vessels. Typically, the glow occurs in the form of a series of successive flashes, individual for each species. The bottom-dwelling Galateatauma, which lives at a depth of about 3600 m, has a luminous bait in its mouth. Unlike other deep-sea anglerfish, it apparently hunts while lying on the bottom.

Adult female anglerfish feed on deep-sea fish, crustaceans and, less commonly, cephalopods; males - copepods and bristlejaws. The stomach of females is capable of very strong stretching, thanks to which they can swallow prey that is often larger than them. The gluttony of anglers sometimes leads to their own death. They found dead anglers with swallowed fish that were more than twice their size. Having captured such large prey, the angler fish cannot release it due to the peculiar structure of its teeth and chokes.

Everyone Good night and good dreams! :)

Whatever they are called - and monkfish, and sea scorpions, and angler fish, and the European anglerfish. However, there are also several varieties of this miracle fish. And by originality appearance, each type is not inferior to each other. People have never seen devils, but the sea monsters that have risen from the depths resemble creatures from the underworld.

In fact, it is just a sea fish - a predator fish with an amazing, unlike anything else appearance.

These fish belong to the ray-finned fish, to the order Anglerfishes, to the family Anglerfishes, to the genus Anglerfishes. Now at water depths there are two varieties of land monkfish:

European anglerfish (lat. Lophius piscatorius);
American anglerfish (lat. Lophius americanus).

External appearance of the sea angler

When you first look at this creature, a remarkable organ immediately catches your eye - the “fishing rod”. The modified fin really resembles a fishing rod with a luminous float. This ugly monster, sometimes reaching up to two meters in length and 30-40 kilograms, can itself regulate the glow of its float. But there is nothing supernatural about this. In fact, the float is a kind of skin formation, in the folds of which amazing bacteria live. In the presence of oxygen, which they draw from the blood of the anglerfish, they glow. But if the monkfish just had lunch and lay down to take a nap, he does not need a glowing flashlight, and it blocks the access of blood to the fin-fishing rod, and the float goes out until the start of a new hunt.

All appearance the monkfish reveals him to be a resident depths of the sea. Elongated body, with an unnatural big head, everything is covered with some kind of growths, vaguely reminiscent of either algae, or tree bark, or some kind of twigs and snags.

The sight of a monkfish going out hunting with an open mouth full of sharp teeth certainly makes an indelible impression. The skin on top is bare brown, covered with dark spots, sometimes with a reddish tint, and a light, almost white belly, serve as a good camouflage for the creature on the dark seabed.

Monkfish habitat

Fish of this species are found in seas and oceans around the world. Although its main refuge is still the Atlantic Ocean. Monkfish are also found off the coast of Europe and Iceland. In addition, it is caught in the Black and Baltic seas, and even in the cold North and Barents seas. This fairly unpretentious bottom-dwelling fish can easily exist in water at temperatures from 0 to 20 degrees.

Anglerfish can live at different depths from 50 to 200 meters. True, there are also specimens that prefer depths of up to 2000 meters.

Hunters from the deep sea

The best way to spend time for an anglerfish is to lie calmly and well-fed on the seabed in sand or silt. But don't let his motionless body fool you. This is a very voracious but patient creature. sea scorpion can lie motionless for hours, tracking and waiting for the appearance of its prey. As soon as some curious fish swims past, the angler instantly grabs it and immediately stuffs it into his mouth.

It should be noted that this fish has an excellent appetite. Very often it feeds on prey that is almost as big as it. Because of this gluttony, unpleasant and even deaths when anglerfish choke on prey that does not fit in their stomach, although its size is truly enormous. Sometimes they rise to the surface of the water and hunt birds, whose feathers, getting stuck in the mouth, can lead to suffocation. After all, having grabbed the victim, the anglerfish can no longer release it due to the specific structure of its teeth.

Monkfish also have another type of hunting. It literally jumps along the bottom with the help of its lower fins and, overtaking the prey, eats it.

Monkfish is a predator, the subject of its hunt are:

small fish;
small sharks - katrans;
small stingrays or their babies;
a variety of waterfowl.

Family life and reproduction of angler fish

Female monkfish are many times larger than males. The role of males is reduced to just fertilizing the eggs. Moreover, they have become so lazy that when they find a female, they cling to her with sharp teeth and remain with her for the rest of their lives. Over the years, some of their organs atrophy, and they become simply appendages of the female that do not need to hunt because they feed through the female’s blood. Sometimes several males pester a female to fertilize more eggs.

When it comes mating season, the females descend to the depths and release a ribbon of eggs up to 10 meters long. The tape is divided into small hexagonal cells with eggs. It should be noted that a female monkfish can simultaneously lay a clutch of about three million eggs. After some time, the eggs are released and travel on their own. sea waters. Turning into larvae, they live closer to the surface of the water for up to four months, and only when they reach a length of 6-8 cm do they sink to the bottom.

Monkfish as a gastronomic dish

Despite its external ugliness, monkfish meat is very tasty. In Spain and France, dishes made from it are considered a delicacy. Most chefs use only the tail of the fish, but often in restaurants they cook monkfish from the head delicious soup from seafood. Anglerfish meat is prepared in different ways:

grilled;
cooked for soups and salads;
stewed with vegetables.

It is white, almost boneless, dense and tender at the same time, reminiscent of lobster meat.

Fried medallions and tender pate, aromatic fillet under cheese sauce and sweet soup - these and many other monkfish delicacies are offered to visitors of expensive European and Asian restaurants. Light, with pinkish veins, low-calorie meat has decent taste.

Behind the strange name “monkfish” is hidden most interesting representative class of ray-finned fish (order of anglerfish). The inhabitant of the ocean and sea depths received its name for its rather terrible appearance, cunning and incredible gluttony.

Description

The order of anglerfish consists of 11 known to science families, including about 120 species of fish. Monkfish fish is among large predators. The catches usually contain individuals up to 1 meter long and weighing up to 10 kg, but there are also two-meter giants weighing up to 40 kg.

The entire order of anglerfish has a disproportionate body: the narrow rear part is flattened laterally, and the wider front part (including the head) is flattened in the dorsoventral direction.

A wide mouth with a slightly protruded lower jaw can open almost the entire circumference of the huge head, which is up to 2/3 of the length of the fish

The structure of the upper and lower jaws (in particular, flexible bones and a movable upper jaw) allow the monkfish to swallow prey that is significantly larger than itself.

The unsightly picture is complemented by sharp teeth of varying lengths curved inwards.
The unique dorsal fin deserves special attention. It is divided into two independent parts. The back is not of scientific interest: it is soft, located near the tail, its rays are connected by a membrane.

The anterior part of the fin consists of six spiny rays. One of them is at the top of the head, just above the jaw.

The beam (scientifically illicium or catching outgrowth) is directed forward and looks like a kind of fishing rod

Thanks to its catching growth, the monkfish has another name - the anglerfish. In some species, the illicium can be retracted into a special hole on the back. The fish lures food with its own flashlight. It is called “esca”, located at the end of the illicium and is a leathery growth.

In fact, an esca is a mucus-filled gland that is inhabited by living microorganisms. Bacteria exhibit bioluminescence, which requires the presence of oxygen. During the hunt, the angler fish expands the walls of the arteries, providing a flow of oxygen to the gland.

The bacteria glow, creating a series of sequential flashes that attract potential prey

Having sated, the anglerfish narrows the walls of the blood vessels, and the glow stops.

For this feature monkfish is sometimes called lanternfish.

Another nickname for the anglerfish is associated with fins - frogfish.

Powerful muscular pectoral fins, reinforced by skeletal bones, allow the monkfish to move along the bottom like an amphibian: with special jumps or crawling, alternately rearranging the fins

Interesting fact! Nature has endowed only the female monkfish with a fishing rod and flashlight.

Sexual dimorphism and reproductive characteristics

Anatomical differences are manifested not only in the absence of an illicium with an esca in males, that is, the main devices for obtaining food. Dimorphism is, first of all, expressed by a significant difference in the growth of males and females. If average length females, depending on the species, vary from 0.5 to 1.5 meters, while male anglerfish have a height of 16 mm to 4 cm.

Scientists have long puzzled over why only females get caught in fishermen's nets. mysterious fish. Males were even credited with some semblance of intelligence, allowing them to avoid captivity.

Gradually, the male fuses with the female with his tongue and lips, and a little later with blood vessels. He loses vital organs (teeth, intestines, eyes) and becomes an appendage of the female, feeding on her blood.

In the photograph, the arrow indicates a male attached to a female. The picture gives an idea of the dimorphism of individuals of different sexes.

Being almost completely dissolved in the female, the male right moment fertilizes eggs

The only function that the male retains is the ability to produce sperm. For this reason, a female often carries up to 4 males.

Females are very fertile. In the spring and summer, they lay up to 3 million eggs. Spawning occurs at a depth of at least 900 m. The eggs are connected into a ribbon-like clutch up to 12 meters long. The mucus-covered ribbon floats freely until the cell walls begin to disintegrate. The hatched larvae live in the surface layer of the reservoir for 2–3 weeks, feeding on pelagic eggs, copepods, and fry of other fish. Only after reaching a length of 8 cm, the juvenile angler fish descends to depth.

Range of the most common species

Observing monkfish is difficult due to the great depths of its habitat. Of the 120 species included in the order Anglerfishes, five are the most studied:

European monkfish: distributed in the Black, Baltic, Barents, North Seas, in the European part Atlantic Ocean, English Channel. It lives at depths from 18 to 550 meters, where it grows up to 2 meters;
black-bellied monkfish(other names: boudegassa anglerfish, southern European anglerfish): differs from its European counterpart in its more modest size: 0.5–1 meter. The species' distribution zone is the eastern part of the Atlantic Ocean from Great Britain to Senegal (habitat depth 300–650 m). The fish can be found in the Mediterranean and Black Seas at a kilometer depth;
American monkfish: lives in the waters of the northwestern Atlantic Ocean at depths of up to 670 meters. Maximum length American anglerfish 1.2 meters, weight - about 23 kg;
Far Eastern monkfish(yellow or Japanese anglerfish): a one and a half meter monster has chosen the waters of the Japanese, Yellow, and Okhotsk seas. Less common in the Pacific Ocean around Japan. Feels comfortable at a depth of 50 meters to 2 kilometers;
Burmese monkfish(Cape anglerfish): lives in the western Indian and southeastern Atlantic oceans at depths of up to 400 meters. The size of the largest individual does not exceed 1 meter.

All species are of commercial importance. If previously monkfish were caught as bycatch, now valuable fish purposefully extracted using nets. Amateurs catch anglerfish with bottom gear using live bait.

How and who does monkfish hunt?

The anglerfish's head has small, close-set eyes, but visual acuity deep sea fish can't boast. However, she does not need to chase prey. Monkfish prefers to ambush near the bottom.
Natural camouflage contributes to successful hunting.

The constantly moving long leathery folds around the monkfish's mouth mislead gullible fish. They mistake them for algae

The fish has no scales. Her body is covered with plaques, spines, tubercles and similar growths. The bare skin is colored in accordance with the general background of the bottom of the habitat. Usually these colors are brown, black, dark gray; in some species there are light spots randomly scattered throughout the body.

Interesting fact! While waiting for prey, the monkfish is capable of remaining motionless for a long time and even holding its breath. Pauses between breaths can be up to 2 minutes.

As soon as the inhabitants of the reservoir, attracted by the glow, come close to the mouth, the angler sharply opens its huge mouth and, along with the flow of water, draws in the prey. The victim does not have time to offer resistance: the entire process lasts no more than 6 milliseconds.

The diet of the monkfish consists of various crustaceans, as well as bottom fish: flounder, eel, stingray, and sometimes small sharks. During the feeding season, the anglerfish may leave its usual depth. Then his prey becomes cod, mackerel, and herring.

There are known cases of fish attacking waterfowl. True, such gluttony costs the life of the angler himself: he dies from feathers stuck in his mouth

The terrifying appearance of the monkfish has given rise to many superstitions and legends. It is widely believed that the anglerfish attacks swimmers. The statement is only partly true. During the period of zhora, the fish rises to the surface of the reservoir and can actually bite a person. The rest of the time, the monkfish prefers to stay at depths beyond the reach of divers.

In the UK, since 2007, there has been a ban on the sale of monkfish meat in supermarkets. This is how environmentalists try to preserve unique fish.

Monkfish, or anglerfish, is a predatory sea bottom fish that belongs to the class ray-finned fish, subclass new-finned fish, infraclass bony fish, order anglerfish, suborder anglerfish, family anglerfish, genus anglerfish (large anglerfish), or sea devils (lat. Lophius ).

Etymology of the Latin name monkfish not fully understood. Some scientists are of the opinion that it comes from a modified Greek word "λοφίο", meaning a ridge that resembles the jaws of this fish. Other researchers associate it with a kind of ridge running along the entire back. The popular name “anglerfish” appeared due to the long and modified first ray of the dorsal fin, equipped with a bait (eska) and resembling a fisherman’s fishing rod. And thanks to the unusual and unattractive appearance of the predator’s head, it was nicknamed “monkfish”. Due to the fact that angler fish can move along the seabed, pushing off from it with slightly modified fins, in some countries fishermen call them.

Monkfish (fish) – description, structure, photo. What does monkfish look like?

Sea devils are fairly large predatory fish that live on the bottom and reach a length of 1.5-2 meters. The weight of monkfish is 20 kilograms or more. The body and huge head with small gill slits are quite strongly flattened in the horizontal direction. In almost all species of anglerfish, the mouth is very wide and opens almost over the entire circumference of the head. The lower jaw is less mobile than the upper jaw and is slightly pushed forward. Predators are armed with quite large sharp teeth, which are bent inward. Thin and flexible jaw bones enable fish to swallow prey that is almost twice their size.

The monkfish's eyes are small, set close together, and located on the top of the head. The dorsal fin consists of two parts separated from each other, one of which is soft and shifted towards the tail, and the second is folded into six rays, three of which are located on the head itself, and three immediately behind it. The anterior spiny ray of the dorsal fin is strongly shifted towards the upper jaw and represents a kind of “rod”; on its top there is a leathery formation (esca), in which luminous bacteria live, which are bait for potential prey.

Due to the fact that the pectoral fins of the monkfish are reinforced by several skeletal bones, they are quite powerful and allow the fish not only to burrow into the bottom soil, but also to move along it by crawling or using peculiar jumps. The pelvic fins are less in demand during the movement of the angler fish and are located on the throat.

It is noteworthy that the body of the anglerfish, painted in dark gray or dark brown colors (often with chaotically located light spots), is covered not with scales, but with various spine-like projections, tubercles, and long or curly leathery fringe, similar to algae. This camouflage allows the predator to easily set up an ambush in thickets of algae or on a sandy bottom.

Where does the anglerfish (monkfish) live?

The distribution area of the genus of anglerfish is quite extensive. It includes the western waters of the Atlantic Ocean, washing the shores of Canada and the United States of America, the eastern Atlantic, the waves of which crash on the shores of Iceland and the British Isles, as well as the cooler depths of the North, Barents and Baltic seas. Certain species of monkfish are found near the coasts of Japan and Korea, in the waters of the Okhotsk and Yellow Seas, in the Eastern part Pacific Ocean and in the Black Sea. Anglerfish also live in the depths Indian Ocean, covering the southern tip of the African continent. Depending on the species, sea devils live at depths from 18 meters to 2 kilometers or more.

What does monkfish (anglerfish) eat?

In terms of feeding, sea devils are predators. The basis of their diet consists of fish that live in the bottom layer of water. The stomachs of anglerfish include gerbils and small stingrays and small sharks, eels, flounders, cephalopods(squid, cuttlefish) and various crustaceans. Sometimes these predators rise closer to the surface of the water, where they hunt for herring or mackerel. Including cases where anglerfish even attacked birds peacefully rocking on the sea waves.

All sea devils hunt from ambush. Thanks to natural camouflage they cannot be noticed when they lie motionless on the bottom, buried in the ground or hidden in thickets of algae. Potential prey is attracted by a luminous bait, which is located at the end of a kind of fishing rod - an elongated ray of the anterior dorsal fin. At the moment when passing crustaceans, invertebrates or fish touch the esky, the monkfish sharply opens its mouth. As a result of this, a vacuum is formed, and a stream of water, along with the victim, who does not have time to do anything, rushes into the mouth of the predator, because the time it takes does not exceed 6 milliseconds.

Taken from the site: bestiarium.kryptozoologie.net

While waiting for prey, the monkfish fish is capable of for a long time remain absolutely still and hold your breath. The pause between breaths can last from one to two minutes.

Previously, it was believed that the monkfish “fishing rod” with bait, movable in all directions, serves to attract prey, and anglerfish open their large mouths only when they touch the fishing rod of curious fish. However, scientists were able to establish that the mouth of predators automatically opens, even if the bait is touched by any object passing by.

Angler fish are quite greedy and gluttonous. This often leads to their death. Having a mouth and a stomach large sizes, the monkfish is capable of capturing fairly large prey. Because of the sharp and long teeth, the hunter cannot let go of his prey, which does not fit in his stomach, and chokes on it. There are known cases when fishermen found prey in the belly of a caught predator that was only 7-10 cm smaller than the monkfish itself.

Types of sea devils (anglerfish), names and photos.

The genus of anglerfish (lat. Lophius) currently includes 7 species:

Lophius americanus (Valenciennes, 1837) – American anglerfish (American monkfish)
Lophius budegassa (Spinola, 1807) – black-bellied anglerfish, or southern European anglerfish, or budegassa anglerfish
Lophius gastrophysus (Miranda Ribeiro, 1915) – Western Atlantic anglerfish
Lophius litulon (Jordan, 1902) – Far Eastern monkfish, yellow anglerfish, Japanese anglerfish
Lophius piscatorius (Linnaeus, 1758) – European monkfish
Lophius vaillanti (Regan, 1903) – South African anglerfish
Lophius vomerinus (Valenciennes, 1837) – Cape (Burmese) monkfish

Below is a description of several types of anglerfish.

– this is dimersal (bottom) predatory fish, having a length from 0.9 m to 1.2 m with a body weight of up to 22.6 kg. Thanks to its huge rounded head and body tapering towards the tail, the American anglerfish resembles a tadpole. The lower jaw of the large wide mouth is strongly pushed forward. It is noteworthy that even with its mouth closed, this predator’s lower teeth are visible. Both the upper and lower jaws are literally studded with sharp thin teeth, inclined deep into the mouth and reaching a length of 2.5 cm. Interestingly, in the lower jaw, almost all monkfish teeth large size and are arranged in three rows. On the upper jaw, large teeth grow only in the center, and in the lateral areas they are smaller, and there are also small teeth at the top of the oral cavity. The gills, lacking covers, are located immediately behind the pectoral fins. The eyes of the small monkfish are directed upward. Like all anglerfish, the first ray is elongated and has a leathery growth that glows due to the bacteria that have settled there. The leathery coverings of the back and sides are colored chocolate brown in various shades and covered with small light or dark spots, while the belly is dirty white. The lifespan of this species of monkfish can reach 30 years. The distribution area of the American anglerfish includes the northwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean with depths of up to 670 m, stretching from the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland and Quebec to the northeastern coast of the North American state of Florida. This predator thrives in waters with temperatures from 0°C to +21°C on sandy, gravel, clay or silty bottom sediments, including those covered with destroyed shells of dead mollusks.

reaches a length of 2 meters, and the weight of individual individuals exceeds 20 kg. The entire body of these predators is flattened from the back to the belly. The size of the wide head can be 75% of the length of the entire fish. The European monkfish has a huge crescent-shaped mouth with a large number thin, pointed, slightly hooked teeth, and a lower jaw that is significantly pushed forward. Slit-like gill openings are located behind the wide, bone-reinforced skeleton pectoral fins, which allow European anglerfish to move along the bottom or burrow into it. The soft, scaleless body of these bottom fish covered with a variety of bone spines or leathery growths of various lengths and shapes. The same “decorations” in the form of a beard border the jaws and lips, as well as lateral surface European monkfish heads. The posterior dorsal fin is located opposite the anal fin. The anterior dorsal fin consists of 6 rays, the first of which is located on the anglerfish’s head and can reach a length of 40-50 cm. At its top there is a leather “bag” that glows in the dark layers of bottom water. The color of individuals varies somewhat depending on the habitat of these fish. The back and sides, covered with dark spots, can be colored brown, reddish or greenish-brown, in contrast to the belly, which is white. The European monkfish lives in the Atlantic Ocean, which washes the shores of Europe, from the coast of Iceland to the Gulf of Guinea. These “cute creatures” can be found not only in the cold waters of the Northern, Baltic and Barents seas or in the English Channel, but also in the warmer Black Sea. European anglerfish live at depths from 18 to 550 m.

In structure and shape, this species of marine fish is very close to its European relative, but unlike it, it has a more modest size and a head that is not so wide relative to the body. The length of the monkfish ranges from 0.5 to 1 meter. The structure of the jaw apparatus is no different from individuals of other species. This species of monkfish gets its name from its distinctive black abdomen, while its back and sides are colored in varying shades of reddish brown or pinkish gray. Depending on their habitat, the body of some individuals may be covered with dark or light spots. The leathery outgrowths of a yellowish or light sandy color that border the jaws and head of the black-bellied anglerfish are short in length and located quite sparsely. The lifespan of the black-bellied monkfish does not exceed 21 years. This species is widespread in the waters of the eastern part of the Atlantic Ocean throughout the entire space - from Great Britain and Ireland to the coast of Senegal, where monkfish lives at depths of 300 to 650 m. The black-bellied anglerfish can also be found in the waters of the Mediterranean and Black Seas at depths of up to 1 kilometer

is a typical inhabitant of the waters of the Sea of Japan, Okhotsk, Yellow and East China Seas, as well as a small part of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan, where it is found at depths ranging from 50 m to 2 km. Individuals of this species grow up to 1.5 meters in length. Like all representatives of the genus Lophius, the Japanese monkfish has a horizontally flattened body, but unlike its relatives it has more long tail. Sharp teeth curved towards the throat in the lower, forward jaw are arranged in two rows. The leathery body of the yellow anglerfish, covered with numerous outgrowths and bony tubercles, is painted in a uniform brown color, over which light spots with darker outlines are randomly scattered. Unlike the back and sides, the belly of Far Eastern monkfish is light. The dorsal, anal and pelvic fins are dark in color, but have light tips.

Cape Anglerfish, or Burmese monkfish, (lat. Lophius vomerinus) It is distinguished by a huge flattened head and a rather short tail, occupying less than one third of the length of the entire body. The size of adult individuals does not exceed 1 meter. Their life expectancy is no more than 11 years. The Cape anglerfish lives at depths of 150 to 400 m in the southeastern Atlantic and western Indian Ocean, along the coasts of Namibia, Mozambique and Republic of South Africa. The light brown body of the Burmese monkfish is strongly flattened from the back towards the abdomen and covered with a fringe of numerous leathery growths. The esca, located at the top of the long first ray of the dorsal fin, resembles a flap. The gill slits are located behind the pectoral fins and just below their level. The lower part of the body (abdomen) is lighter, almost white.