Horned Lantern Fish, Centrophryne spinulosa Regan & Trewavas 1932

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Bray, D.J. 2025, Centrophryne spinulosa in Fishes of Australia, accessed 27 Jun 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/5755

Horned Lantern Fish, Centrophryne spinulosa Regan & Trewavas 1932

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Distribution	NW of Point Cloates, Western Australia, over a depth of 4843-4848 m. Elsewhere the species is circumglobal in tropical to subtropical waters.
Features	Soft dorsal fin 6-7; Anal fin 5-6; Pelvic fins absent. Females: body elongate, compressed; first dorsal-fin spine (illicium) shorter than standard length, bearing a conspicuous terminal bioluminescent bait (esca); sphenotic spines absent; no caruncles (modified dorsal-fin rays, each bearing a bioluminescent gland) on back; skin rough, everywhere covered with small, close-set spinules. Males: free-living, very small, most likely not becoming parasitic on females; eyes small; olfactory organs large, directed laterally; 3 upper and 4 lower denticular teeth, fused at base; skin naked. Males and juvenile females with a simple papilliform hyoid barbel.
Etymology	The specific name is from the Latin spinulosa (= having many small spines, covered in small spines, spiny), in reference to the prickly skin of females that is covered in minute spinules.
Species Citation	Centrophryne spinulosa Regan & Trewavas 1932, Dana Report No. 2: 84, Pl. 4 (fig. 2). Type locality: Pacific, off northern New Guinea, 1°20'S, 138°42'E, station 3768, depth about 2000 metres (4000 metres wire out).
Author	Bray, D.J. 2025
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Horned Lantern Fish, Centrophryne spinulosa Regan & Trewavas 1932

References

Bertelsen, E. 1951. The ceratioid fishes. Ontogeny, taxonomy, distribution and biology. Dana Report No. 39: 1-276, 1 pl.

Ho, H.-C. & Shao, K.-T. 2019. Two new deep-sea anglerfishes (Oneirodidae and Gigantactidae) from Taiwan, with synopsis of Taiwanese ceratioids. Zootaxa 4702(1): 10-18.

Knudsen, S. 2015. Centrophryne spinulosa. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T60469670A60785498. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T60469670A60785498.en. Accessed on 04 February 2025.

Pietsch, T.W. 1972. A review of the monotypic deep-sea anglerfish family Centrophrynidae: taxonomy, distribution and osteology. Copeia 1972(1): 17-47. https://doi.org/10.2307/1442779

Pietsch, T.W. 2009. Oceanic anglerfishes. Extraordinary diversity in the Deep Sea. University of California Press, Berkeley. i-xii + 1-557.

Pietsch, T.W. 2016. Order Lophiiformes pp. 2051-2053, 2059-2076 in Carpenter, K.E. & De Angelis, N. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Eastern Central Atlantic. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. Bony Fishes Part 1 (Elopiformes to Scorpaeniformes). Rome : FAO Vol. 3 pp. 1511-2350. https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/i5714e

Regan, C.T. & Trewavas, E. 1932. Deep-sea angler-fishes (Ceratioidea). Dana Report No. 2: 1-113, Pls. 1-10.