Warty Frogfish
Antennarius maculatus
Adults inhabit warm reef slopes, lagoons, and sponge-rich bottoms, where their warty skin and variable colors blend into the surrounding growth. They usually move slowly by walking on modified pectoral fins, then ambush passing prey from very close range. Their diet includes small fish and crustaceans swallowed whole by an explosive expansion of the mouth. The fishing lure is actually a modified dorsal-fin spine, and adults can consume prey nearly as large as themselves.
- Type
- Stealth / Water
- Conservation status
- LC
Growth chain
- Warty Frogfish Juvenile
- Warty Frogfish