Caulophryne pelagica

Caulophryne pelagica, 60 cm.

Supervised by Per Ahlberg, University of Uppsala.

A type of hairy anglerfish. found in the bathyal zone at depths ranging from 954 to 2,500 metres. Found circumglobally all the way arounf Africa, in South-east Asia and south of Australia. The largest specimen found was a female of 15 cm. As in other anglerfishes, males are one-tenth the size of females and, after larval and adolescent free-living stages, spend the rest of their lives parasitically attached to a female. Hairy anglerfish lack the otherwise iconic escal bulb - that’s the bioluminescent lure at the end of the illicium, a trade mark of some anglerfish, and a fancy device for attracting pray when living in the dark. Contrary they have very long dorsal and anal fin rays.