Species: Aphos porosus, the Monkfish
D1: II solid spines
C: dark outer 1/2
Aphos porosus (Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1837)
Monkfish
Body elongate, depressed at front, compressed at rear; head broad, depressed; eye small; mouth strongly oblique, lower jaw projecting; teeth pointed, larger on top jaw, 2 rows at front, 1 row on sides; vomer with 2 canines on each side; opercle with large solid spine, preopercle without a spine; first dorsal fin with 2 solid spines, well separated from second dorsal; second dorsal with long base, 31-33 rays; anal fin with long base, 30-32 rays; pectoral base broad, about as long as head, pointed, 19-20 rays; tail fin not joined to dorsal and anal; tail base slender; anterior body with 4 lateral lines, rear body with top and bottom lines extending along bases of dorsal and anal fins; no light organs; no scales.
Brownish above, pale to silvery on side and below; head brown above; back with 4-5 brown saddles, the last one at the end of the dorsal fin extending from the top to the bottom of the body, distinct in juveniles, disappearing with age; dorsal fin pale, 4-6 conspicuous dark spots on outer half; tail fin pale at base, outer half dark; anal fin pale, 1-2 dark blotches on rear margin; pectoral pale, base brownish in juveniles, with brown bars in adults.
Size: 28 cm.
Habitat: soft bottoms.
Depth: 1-30 m.
Temperate; Northern Peru to central Chile.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Bottom only
- Habitat
-
- Mud
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Soft bottom only
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- No Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
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- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- No Data
- Egg Type
-
- No pelagic larva
- No pelagic phase
- Benthic
- No data
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- TEP non-endemic
- East Pacific endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) non-endemic
- Temperate Eastern Pacific, primarily
- Peruvian province, primarily
- Continent only
- All species
- Residency
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- Vagrant
- Climate Zone
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- South Temperate (Peruvian Province )
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 28
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 30
