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Ogcocephalidae

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Batfishes are a family, Ogcocephalidae, of anglerfishes. They are found in deep, lightless waters of the Atlantic, Indian and western Pacific Oceans.["Ogcocephalidae"]. FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. February 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.

They are laterally compressed fishes similar in appearance to rays, with a large circular, triangular, or box-shaped (in Coelophrys) head and a small tail. The illicium (a modified dorsal fin ray on the front of the head, that supports the esca, a bulbous lure) can be retracted into an illicial cavity above the mouth. The esca is not luminous as in most other groups of anglerfishes, but secretes a fluid that is hypothesized to act as a chemical lure, attracting prey.

They are bottom-dwelling fishes, mostly found on the continental slope at depths up to 4,000 m. Some New World genera live in coastal waters and river estuaries.

Species

There are 65 species in ten genera:

References

 


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