Species: Fowlerichthys ocellatus, Ocellated Frogfish
2nd D spine attached to head by membrane with spicules
Fowlerichthys ocellatus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Ocellated frogfish
A globular somewhat compressed body; head not spiny; eyes on sides of head; a very large, upward directed mouth with many small teeth; a small round gill opening, below and behind pectoral base; dorsal rays I+I+I,13; "fish-pole" is 9-15% of SL, about equal to length of second dorsal spine; "lure" is a cluster of elongate filaments; second dorsal spine strongly curved, membrane behind it that connects it to head is divided into upper and lower smooth sections by a dense cluster of spicules; 3rd dorsal spine movable, not bound down by skin; limb-like pectoral fins with an "elbow" joint, that fin broadly connected to body; anal rays 8; pectoral rays 12 (rarely 11-13); pelvic fins short, with all 5 rays branched; tail base present, dorsal and anal fins not connected to tail fin; skin of body rough, covered with close-set, double-pointed spicules.
Orange to mottled yellow-brown; with three large conspicuous ocelli - 1 on lower middle of dorsal fin, 1 on mid-body under the dorsal-fin spot, and 1 on center of tail fin; numerous small dark spots on lower head and body.
Size: attains 42 cm, the largest Caribbean frogfish.
Habitat: usually shell, mud and sand bottoms, but also on reefs.
Depth: 1-150 m, usually around 50 m.
New York to Venezuela.
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- Salinity
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- Marine Only
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Corals
- Sand & gravel
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Mud
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Rocks
- Reef and soft bottom
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Bony fishes
- Data
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- West Atlantic Endemic
- All species
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent
- GC non-endemic
- Extends North of GC
- Continental primarily
- All species
- Island (s)
- Continent + Island (s)
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Temperate (>35N)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 42
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 150
