Fowlerichthys

Fowlerichthys is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the familyAntennariidae, the frogfishes. The fishes in this genus are found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the only member of the subfamilyFowlerichthyinae.^[2]

Fowlerichthys was first proposed as a monospecific genus in 1941 by the American zoologistThomas Barbour when he describedFowlerichthys floridanus, which he also designated as its type species.^[1]F. floridanus is now considered a junior synonym of Antennarius radiosus, described in 1896 by Samuel Garman, with a type locality of Key West in Florida.^[3]

Some authorities classify this genus as belonging to the subfamily Antennariinae within the Antennariidae family.^[4] However, the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not recognise subfamilies within the Antennariidae, classifying the family within the suborderAntennarioidei within the orderLophiiformes, the anglerfishes.^[5] In a 2025 phylogenetic study, it was found to form a distinct lineage from the other frogfishes, and was thus classified into its own subfamily Fowlerichthyinae, which was recognized by Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes.^[2][6] Fowlerichthyinae is thought to be the sister group to all other lineages within Antennariidae.^[6]

A fossil relative, †NeilpeartiaCarnevale et al., 2020 (named after Neil Peart), is known from the Early Eocene-aged Monte Bolca site of Italy, which is thought to be the sister genus to the extant Fowlerichthys.^[7] The fossil species F. monodi is known from the Late Miocene of Algeria.^[8]

Fowlerichthys combina Fowler, en honor al ictiólogo estadounidense Henry Weed Fowler de la Academia de Ciencias Naturales de Filadelfia , quien le dio a Barbour el espécimen tipo de F. floridanus , con ichthys , que significa pez. ^{[ 9 ]}

Actualmente se reconocen cinco especies en este género: ^{[ 10 ]}

• Fowlerichthys avalonis ( DS Jordan & Starks , 1907) (Pez sapo de barra rugosa)
• Fowlerichthys ocellatus ( Bloch & JG Schneider , 1801) (Pez sapo ocelado)
• Fowlerichthys radiosus ( Garman , 1896) (Pez sapo de una sola mancha)
• Fowlerichthys scriptissimus (DS Jordan, 1902) (Pez sapo calico)
• Fowlerichthys senegalensis ( Cadenat , 1959) (pez sapo senegalés)

La especie fósil † Fowlerichthys monodi (Carnevale & Pietsch, 2006) se conoce del Mioceno superior ( Messiniense ) de Argelia . Anteriormente, esta especie fue descrita en el género Antennarius basándose en su aparente relación con el pez sapo senegalés, pero fue reclasificada en Fowlerichthys tras la reclasificación de esta última especie. ^{[ 7 ] [ 8 ]}

Fowlerichthys frogfishes have globose rather compressed bodies covered in densely set bifurcated spinules, with their eyes placed on the sides of the head. The upwardly pointing mouth has numerous small teeth. The illicium does not have a distinct esca, or lur, and any spinules on the illicium are located at its base or along its front edge.^[11] The illicium is slightly shorter than the second dorsal spine present. The rear margins of the dorsal and anal fin membranes have a membrane connecting them to the body on front of the caudal peduncle. The dorsal fin has between 12 and 14 soft rays, all typically having a single fork, with the anal fin having between 7 and 10 similar rays. These are large frogfishes,^[12] with the largest species being the ocellated frogfish (F. ocellatus), which has a maximum published total length of 38 cm (15 in).^[10] In comparison, the smallest is the single-spot frogfish (Fowlerichthys radiosus), which has a maximum length of 25 cm (9.8 in).^[11]

Fowlerichthys frogfishes are found in the warmer waters of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, with two species, F. ocellatus and F. radiosus, in the Western Atlantic Ocean, one, F. senegalensis, in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, one F. scriptissimus, in the Indo-West Pacific and one in the Eastern Pacific, F. avalonis.^[10] These fish are typically found in rocky and reef habitats, frequently in the intertidal zone, sometimes on sandy and muddy bottoms^[13][14] and one species, F. radiosus, on offshore banks and the deeper waters of the continental shelf.^[15]