Lophiidae

Lophiidae 

a family of fishes of the order Lophiiformes (or Pediculati). There are four genera, found in the tropical and moderately warm littoral waters of the Pacific Ocean. The genus Lophius has 12 species, of which only one— the angler (L. piscatorius) —is found in the USSR. It dwells at depths of 50–200 m off European shores from the Barents to the Black Sea. It is 1.5 m long and weighs up to 20 kg. A predator, the angler feeds on benthic fish and large invertebrates. Spawning occurs in the spring. The eggs are large (up to 4 mm); fertility is up to 3 million eggs.

REFERENCES

Zhizn’ zhivotnykh, vol. 4. part 1. Moscow, 1971.
Nikol’skii, G. V. Chastnaia ikhtiologiia, 3rd ed. Moscow, 1971.