Shortspine Goosefish, Lophiodes triradiatus (Lloyd 1909)


Other Names: Shortspine Monkfish

Shortspine Goosefish, Lophiodes triradiatus. Source: Ho, Hsuan-Ching. License: All rights reserved

Summary:
Head and body greatly depressed, dorsal fin with 3 spines, the second and third spines relatively short and adorned with tendrils; illicium ('fishing rod') relatively short, esca (bait) a leaf-like transparent flap; postcephalic spine absent.

In Australia, the Shortspine Goosefish was previously known as Lophiodes infrabrunneus - a junior synonym of L. triradiatus.

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2025, Lophiodes triradiatus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 20 Apr 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/3975

Shortspine Goosefish, Lophiodes triradiatus (Lloyd 1909)

More Info


Distribution

Off NW Australia - from west of Barrow Island to southwest of Scott Reef, Western Australia. Elsewhere the species is widespread in the tropical Indo-west Pacific: Mozambique, southern India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan.
Inhabits the continental slope o seamounts, ridges and rises - the deepest living lophiid species.

Features

Dorsal fin I;I;I; 7-8; Pectoral fin 16–20; Anal fin 6; Caudal fin 9; Vertebrae 19. 
Head and body strongly depressed, oval in shape, tapering posteriorly; gill opening relatively large, reaching forward beyond pectoral-fin base; head with tendrils along lower edge, trunk and tail; frontal ridge straight and smooth, without a knob; eyes large, directed upwards, interorbital space flat. Mouth large, lower jaw reaching beyond upper jaw; upper jaw teeth large, in 3 rows anteriorly, in a single row posteriorly; lower jaw teeth in three rows, inner row largest; teeth present on vomer, palatines and tongue.

Colour

In preservative: Light to dark brown above, paler below; fins darker than body, becoming paler towards outer margin; peritoneum black.

Similar Species

This species can be easily separated from others in the genus Lophiodes in only having three dorsal-fin spines on the head (no post-cephalic spines).

Etymology

The specific name is from the Latin tri- (= three) and radiatus (= rayed), most likely in reference to the species only having three dorsal-fin spines (no post-cephalic dorsal-fin spines).

Species Citation

Lophius triradiatus Lloyd 1909, Memoirs of the Indian Museum 2(3): 166. Type locality: Laccadive Sea, 10°08'43"N, 75°33'30"E, Investigator station 259, depth 300 fathoms [= 549 m].

Author

Bray, D.J. 2025

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Shortspine Goosefish, Lophiodes triradiatus (Lloyd 1909)

References


Caruso, J.H. 1983. The systematics and distribution of the lophiid anglerfishes. I. A revision of the genus Lophiodes with the description of two new species. Copeia 1983(3): 522-549. (as Lophiodes infrabrunneus)

Ho, H. 2020. Lophiodes triradiatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T135441349A136910168. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T135441349A136910168.en. Accessed on 26 February 2025.

Ho, H.-C., Kawai, T., Wudianto & Satria, F. 2016. Records of anglerfishes (Actinopterygii: Lophiiformes: Lophiidae) from Indonesia. Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria 46(2): 77‒85. https://doi.org/10.3750/AIP2016.46.2.03

Ho, H.-C. & Lin, C.-H. 2022. Redescription of Lophiodes lugubris (Alcock, 1894), with the largest record of Lophiodes triradiatus (Lloyd, 1909) from the South China Sea (Lophiiformes: Lophiidae). Zootaxa 5189(1): 138-145. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5189.1.16

Ho, H.-C., Séret, B. & Shao, K.-T. 2009. Redescription of Lophiodes infrabrunneus Smith and Radcliffe, 1912, a senior synonym of L. abdituspinus Ni, Wu and Li, 1990 (Lophiiformes: Lophiidae). Zootaxa 2326: 62–68.

Ho, H.-C., K.K. Bineesh & K.V. Akhilesh. 2014. Rediscovery of Lophiodes triradiatus (Lloyd, 1909), a senior synonym of L. infrabrunneus Smith and Radcliffe (Lophiiformes: Lophiidae). Zootaxa 3786(5): 587-592.

Ho, H.-C., Séret, B. & Shao, K.-T. 2011. Records of anglerfishes (Lophiiformes: Lophiidae) from the western South Pacific Ocean, with descriptions of two new species. Journal of Fish Biology 79(7): 1722-1745

Paxton, J.R., Gates, J.E. & Hoese, D.F. 2006. Lophiidae. pp. 634-636 in Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & Allen, G.R. Fishes. In, Beesley, P.L. & Wells, A. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Volume 35. Australia : ABRS & CSIRO Publishing Parts 1-3, 2178 pp. (as Lophiodes infrabrunneus)

Paxton, J.R., Hoese, D.F., Allen, G.R. & Hanley, J.E. (eds) 1989. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Pisces: Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 7 665 pp. (as Lophiodes infrabrunneus)

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37208002

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Depth:208-1560 m

Habitat:Bottom dwelling

Max Size:40+ cm SL

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Species Maps

CAAB distribution map