Deep‐water chaunacid and lophiid anglerfishes (Pisces: Lophiiformes) off the south‐eastern United States

• Published in: Journal of Fish Biology
• Main Authors: Caruso, J. H., Ross, S. W., Sulak, K. J., Sedberry, G. R.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2007
• Subjects: Lophelia pertusa
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2007.01360.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1095-8649.2007.01360.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2007.01360.x

Recent research cruises to deep (80–910 m) reef habitats off the south‐eastern U.S. and in the northern Gulf of Mexico have provided new information on the diagnostic characteristics, behaviours, colour patterns in life, bottom associations, distributions and maximum sizes of species of the anglerfish genera Chaunax , Lophiodes and Sladenia . Chaunax stigmaeus occurred much further south than previously known (Blake Plateau off South Carolina), and all C. stigmaeus observed were found associated with dense beds of dead coral ( Lophelia pertusa ) rubble or on broken hard bottom. In contrast, Chaunax suttkusi was found on soft bottoms. Chaunax stigmaeus and C. suttkusi appear to be sympatric over a major portion of their ranges. Because knowledge of pigmentation in live or freshly caught Chaunax is critical to distinguish some members of the genus, changes in the colouration of C. suttkusi were noted and documented photographically immediately after death and after fixation. The yellow spots found on some, but not all specimens, temporarily disappeared completely after death, but they reappeared after fixation, slowly disappearing thereafter along with other carotenoid pigments. Lophiodes beroe and Lophiodes monodi were collected for the first time off the Atlantic coast of the U.S., being previously known only from the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and the northern coast of South America. For both species ( L. beroe and L. monodi ), the collections included the two largest known representatives of the species (400 and 325 mm standard length, respectively). Lophiodes beroe commonly occurred on L. pertusa rubble, and seemed to prefer this habitat. Occupying such a habitat that is deep and difficult to sample probably explains how this common species escaped detection. Only a single L. monodi was collected or observed, so this species appears to be uncommon in this geographic area or at least so on coral rubble habitat. Detailed aspects of the colour patterns of both species were noted. In particular, L. beroe ...