Fig. 501.—Fishing-frog, Antennarius nox Jordan. Wakanoura, Japan.
The genus Antennarius contains species of the shoals and reefs, with markings which correspond to the colors of the rocks. These fishes are firm in texture with a velvety skin, and the prevailing color is brown and red. There are many species wherever reefs are found. Antennarius ocellatus, the pescador, is the commonest West Indian species. Antennarius multiocellatus, with many ocellated spots, is the Martin Pescador of Cuba, also common.
On the Pacific coast of Mexico the commonest species is Antennarius strigatus. In Japan, Antennarius tridens abounds everywhere on the muddy bottoms of the bays. Antennarius nox is a jet-black species of the Japanese reefs, and Antennarius sanguifluus is spotted with blood-red in imitation of coralline patches. Many other species abound in the East Indies and in Polynesia. The genus Chaunax is represented by several deep-water species of the West Indies, Japan, etc.
Fig. 502.—Shoulder-girdle of a Batfish, Ogcocephalus radiatus (Mitchill).
The Gigactinidæ of the deep seas differ from the Ogcocephalidæ, according to Boulenger, in the absence of ventrals.
Fig. 503.—Frogfish, Antennarus scaber (Cuvier). Puerto Rico.
The Batfishes: Ogcocephalidæ.—The batfishes, Ogcocephalidæ, are anglers with the body depressed and covered with hard bony warts. The mouth is small and the bony bases of the pectoral and ventral fins are longer than in any other of the anglers. The species live in the warm seas, some in very shallow water, others descending to great depths, the deep-sea forms being small and more or less degenerate. These walk along like toads on the sea-bottoms; the ventrals, being jugular, act as fore legs and the pectorals extend behind them as hind legs.