Anglerfish

The anglerfish are ray-finned fish in the order Lophiiformes (). Both the order's common and scientific name comes from the characteristic mode of predation, in which a modified dorsal fin ray acts as a lure for prey (akin to a human angler, and likened to a crest or "lophos"). The modified fin ray, with the very tip being the esca and the length of the structure the illicium, is adapted to attract specific prey items across the families of anglerfish by using different luring methods. Anglerfish occur in marine waters worldwide and occupy both bottom associated and open water habitats. Most species are benthic or demersal, including monkfishes, batfishes, frogfishes, and sea toads. Many use enlarged pectoral and pelvic fins to rest on or move across the seabed. The deep-sea anglerfish are pelagic and different from other anglerfish in their lack of pelvic fins. Shallow-water species occur in habitats including reefs, seagrass beds, and floating Sargassum, while other species live in continental slopes and the deep sea. Anglerfish are notable for their sexual dimorphism, which is sometimes extremely pronounced; the females may be several orders of magnitude larger in mass than males. This dimorphism has enabled a unique reproductive method in the deep-sea anglerfish; sexual parasitism is the attachment of male to the much larger female, sometimes fusing together as an example of natural parabiosis. Anglerfish are of some commercial value, with some species being of interest to aquaria. But the lophiid anglerfish (marketed as monkfish, goosefish, or simply angler) are much more valued for their meat, which is considered a delicacy throughout their range.