Shaggy frogfish
Antennarius hispidus
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Order
- Lophiiformes
- Family
- Antennariidae
- Genus
- Antennarius
- Species
- Antennarius hispidus
The shaggy frogfish (Antennarius hispidus) is a furry-looking frogfish with dense skin spinules and dark stripes radiating across its yellow to brown body. Its lure ends in a large, fluffy tassel, which helps tell it apart from the similar hairy frogfish.
It grows to about 20 cm and lives on sand, mud and rubble, often near sponges or weed where it can sit unnoticed. It feeds on fish and crustaceans that it lures within range and swallows whole.
The shaggy frogfish ranges across the Indo-West Pacific, including the Philippines. It is a classic muck-diving species and can be found on black sand slopes there.