Shortspine Goosefish, Lophiodes triradiatus (Lloyd 1909)

Other Names: Shortspine Monkfish

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 Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

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)