Thaumatichthys
3 species
The Wonderfish (Thaumatichthys) is a genus of deep-sea anglerfish in the family Thaumatichthyidae, with three known species. Its scientific name means "wonder-fish" in Greek; oceanographer Anton Bruun described these fishes as "altogether one of the oddest creatures in the teeming variety of the fish world." In contrast to other anglerfishes, the bioluminescent lure (called the "esca") of Thaumatichthys is located inside its cavernous mouth. They are worldwide in distribution and are ambush predators living near the ocean floor.
Thaumatichthys is known from tropical oceanic waters worldwide. T. pagidostoma, the first species to be discovered, is only known from a single specimen caught at a depth of 1,440 m in the Gulf of Tomini off Sulawesi. T. axeli occurs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, while T. binghami is found in and around the Caribbean Sea. Larvae that could not be referred to species have also been found off the Gulf of Guinea in the southern Atlantic Ocean and in the southern Mozambique Channel in the eastern Indian Ocean.
Uniquely amongst deep-sea anglerfish, adult Thaumatichthys are benthic in nature; T. binghami and T. pagidostomus are found on the continental shelf between 1,000–2,000 m, while T. axeli is found in the abyssal zone at about 3,600 m.
The Wonderfish (Thaumatichthys) is a genus of deep-sea anglerfish in the family Thaumatichthyidae, with three known species. Its scientific name means "wonder-fish" in Greek; oceanographer Anton Bruun described these fishes as "altogether one of the oddest creatures in the teeming variety of the fish world." In contrast to other anglerfishes, the bioluminescent lure (called the "esca") of Thaumatichthys is located inside its cavernous mouth. They are worldwide in distribution and are ambush predators living near the ocean floor.
Thaumatichthys is known from tropical oceanic waters worldwide. T. pagidostoma, the first species to be discovered, is only known from a single specimen caught at a depth of 1,440 m in the Gulf of Tomini off Sulawesi. T. axeli occurs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, while T. binghami is found in and around the Caribbean Sea. Larvae that could not be referred to species have also been found off the Gulf of Guinea in the southern Atlantic Ocean and in the southern Mozambique Channel in the eastern Indian Ocean.
Uniquely amongst deep-sea anglerfish, adult Thaumatichthys are benthic in nature; T. binghami and T. pagidostomus are found on the continental shelf between 1,000–2,000 m, while T. axeli is found in the abyssal zone at about 3,600 m.