Spottedtail goosefish

Lophiodes caulinaris is a goosefish of the family Lophiidae, order Lophiiformes, a marine species accepted in WoRMS ^[1]. It is a bottom-living fish with a flattened head and a large mouth, whose first dorsal spine has become a lure to attract prey ^[2]. It has been recorded in the Eastern Pacific between Baja California (Mexico) and Peru ^[2]. Its global category on the IUCN Red List is Least Concern ^[3].

The species was described by Garman in 1899 as Lophiomus caulinaris; the author appears in parentheses because it is now placed in the genus Lophiodes ^[1]. WoRMS also lists Chirolophius forbesii, by Regan (1913), as an unaccepted synonym ^[1].

FishBase explains the genus name from Greek: lophos, meaning crest, and the suffix oides, meaning similarity ^[2]. In English it is called spottedtail angler ^[2].

It is a fish with the head and front of the body flattened from top to bottom, while the rear part narrows gradually; the mouth is large and the head bears numerous spines on the back and sides ^[2].

In front of the main dorsal fin there are 3 loose spines on the head; the first is the rod carrying the lure, and 3 more short spines lie behind ^[2]. FishBase counts 8 soft rays in the dorsal fin and 6 to 7 in the anal fin ^[2].

The back is brown, from light to dark, and the belly is paler; the easiest feature to recognise is a vertical row of 6 pale spots on the tail fin ^[2]. The maximum recorded size is 40 cm total length, and the common length is 30 cm ^[2][4].

It is an Eastern Pacific species, recorded between Baja California (Mexico) and Peru; the northern limit extends to the vicinity of Morro Bay, in California ^[2]. WoRMS treats it as an exclusively marine species ^[1].

Juveniles and adults are benthic and live on the continental shelf and in the upper regions of the slope ^[2][4]. FishBase classes it as demersal and gives a depth range of 15 to 311 m, attributed to the FAO guide ^[2][4].

It is oviparous: the eggs are held in floating gelatinous rafts and the larvae are planktonic ^[2]. Juveniles and adults live close to the bottom ^[2]. As in other goosefishes, the first dorsal-fin spine works as a fishing rod with a lure that draws prey toward the mouth ^[2].

Its global category on the IUCN Red List is Least Concern, according to the assessment of 22 May 2007 ^[3]. FishBase notes that it is probably caught incidentally in trawl fishing, an observation it attributes to the FAO guide ^[2][4].

Not medical advice. For a sting, a poisoning or an allergy, seek medical care.

FishBase considers it harmless to people ^[2].

No information was found on a fishery aimed at this species; the sources only state that it probably falls as incidental catch in trawl fishing ^[4][2].