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Species: Antennarius pauciradiatus, Dwarf Frogfish, Dwarfed Frogfish

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

2nd D spine: > fish pole, connected to 3rd spine, flaps at tip
3rd D spine long, curved
2 brown spots: center 1st D ray & center base D
D&A not connected to C
only 1 pelvic ray branched

Antennarius pauciradiatus Schultz, 1957

Dwarf 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,12; "fish-pole" distinctly shorter than second dorsal spine, 5.2-8.2% of SL; "lure" an stout oval bearing numerous tentacle-like filaments; second dorsal spine connected to head and lower part of third spine by a thin translucent membrane that has a pocket that receives the lure, has a pair of elongate skin flaps at its tip; 3rd dorsal spine long and curved, movable, not bound down by skin; limb-like pectoral fins with an "elbow" joint, that fin broadly connected to body; anal rays 7; pectoral rays 9;  tail base present, dorsal and anal fins not connected to tail fin; pelvic fins short, with 4 unbranched and 1 branched rays;  skin of body rough, covered with close-set, double-pointed spicules.

Tan; 2 small, brown spots: one at middle of first dorsal soft ray and another on mid-base of dorsal fin.

Size: attains 5.6 cm.

Habitat: sand and coral rubble, seagrass beds.

Depth: 6-73 m (average 22 m).

Bermuda to Venezuela.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
  • Bottom only
Habitat
  • Reef and soft bottom
  • Sand & gravel
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Submerged vegetation
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Bony fishes
Egg Type
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
  • Data
Global Endemism
  • All species.
  • Greater Caribbean endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Island (s)
  • Continent
  • GC endemic
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • All species..
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Listed
  • Least concern
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 5.6
Depth Range Min
  • 6
Depth Range Max
  • 73