Humpback anglerfish

Humpback Anglerfish ( Melanocetus johnsonii )

The hunchback frogfish ( Melanocetus johnsonii, synonyms M. krechi, M. rotundatus, M. ferox, M. cirrifer, M. megalodontis ) is a deep sea fish with very bright light organs an angel -like appendages, which are used as bait to lure prey. The Angel is brought by special bacteria to light who live with the angler fish in symbiosis. The fish lure with their light organs on their fill of small crabs, lantern fish and bristle mouths prey. Your very stretchy stomachs allow them to swallow prey larger than themselves To a 24 -centimeter-long viper fish has been found in the stomach of a 6.6 -centimeter-long humpback angler fish.

Particularly is that the male of the hunchback angler fish is not larger than three inches, while the female reaches a length of 18 centimeters. In contrast to other males of the deep-sea angler fish live parasitically not grown fast from Melanocetus johnsonii on females but are afloat.

Hunchback angler fish live in temperate to tropical regions of all oceans at depths of 100-4500 meters. The pelagic larvae live in the upper 100 meters of the water column, where they develop into adults. Fins formula: Dorsal I/13-17, Anal 3-5, caudal 6

The term Melanocetus krechi awarded the zoologist August Brauer in honor of Adalbert Krech.