Lophius vomerinus

Lophius vomerinus, the devil anglerfish, Cape monk or Cape monkfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lophiidae, the goosefishes, monkfishes or anglerfishes. This species is endemic to the waters of the southeastern Atlantic and southwestern Indian Oceans around Southern Africa.

Lophius vomerinus
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Lophiiformes
Family:	Lophiidae
Genus:	Lophius
Species:	L. vomerinus
Binomial name
Lophius vomerinus Valenciennes, 1837
Synonyms[2]
Lophius upsicephalus Smith, 1841

Taxonomy

Lophius vomerinus was first formally describedin 1837 by the French zoologist Achille Valenciennes with its type locality given as the Cape of Good Hope.^[3] The genus Lophius is one of 4 extant genera in the family Lophiidae which the 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies in the monotypic suborder Lophioidei within the order Lophiiformes.^[4]

Etymology

Lophius vomerinus has the genus name Lophius, which means "mane" and is presumably a reference to the first three spines of the first dorsal fin which are tentacle like, with three smaller spines behind them. The specific name vomerinus means "vomerine", referring to the lack of teeth on the vomer, although this appears to be an age related feature.^[5]

Description

Lophius vomerinus has six dorsal spines, three on the head and three to the rear of the head. The second dorsal fin contains 9 or 10 soft rays. The anal fin contains 9 soft rays. The illicium has a simple pennant like esca. The overall colour is dark brown on the upper body and pale on the lower body. the large pectoral fins are darker towards their tips on their upper surface, pale on the lower surface with a dark brown band covering the outer third.^[6] This species hasa maximum published total length of 100 cm (39 in), although 50 cm (20 in) is more typical.^[2]

Distribution and habitat

Lophius vomerinus is endemic to the coasts of southern Africa, where its range extends from north of the Walvis Ridge off Namibia in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean to KwaZulu-Natal in the southeastern Indian Ocean.^[6] It is a bathydemersal species found on the deeper areas of the continental shelf and the upper continental slope over soft bottoms at depths between 150 and 400 m (490 and 1,310 ft).^[2]

Fisheries and conservation

Lophius vomerinus is an important target species for commercial fisheries in Namibia. The current rate of landing is in excess of that which is considered sustainable. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the conservation status of the Cape monk as Near Threatened as the decline in population is not high enough for it to be of higher conservation concern.^[1]