Family Gigantactinidae
Taxonomy: Family with 2 genera and 22 species; a single genus and 3 species in Australian waters.
Distribution, ecology and habitat: Worldwide in all oceans; bathypelagic usually at 1000-2500 m or deeper.
Characteristics:
Females: body very elongate, relatively streamlined, head rather small, caudal peduncle long, slender; mouth inferior, upper jaw jutting beyond lower jaw; illicium greatly prolonged, up to 4 times body length, tipped with biolumiescent esca; 5 radial bones at base of pectoral finrays, pelvic fins absent.
Males free-living, not parasitic on females, with minute eyes, large olfactory organs, anterior nostrils close together and opening anteriorly, degenerate premaxillae, no jaw teeth, denticular teeth all or nearly all mutually free (upper 3-6, rarely 2, and lower 4-7, rarely 3), single head on hyomandibular bone, 6 (rarely 7) branchiostegal rays, 5 pectoral radials and no pelvic bones.
Size: Among the largest known ceratioid anglerfishes - females to 410 mm SL, males to 22 mm.
Food and feeding: Voracious carnivores reported to feed on squid and crustaceans.
Reproduction and early life history: Although the larvae closely resemble those of antennariids (shallow water anglerfishes), they have larger pectoral fins, a single cephalic spine and the illicium in females develops early during preflexion (during flexion stage in antennariids).
Fisheries: no commercial importance.
Remarks: Whipnose anglerfishes may use their esca to lure prey living near the bottom, and may be capable of swimming upside down.
Australian species:
- Gigantactis elsmani Bertelsen, Pietsch & Lavenberg, 1981 Elsman's Whipnose CAAB 37217002
- Gigantactis paxtoni Bertelsen, Pietsch & Lavenberg, 1981 Paxton's Whipnose CAAB 37217001
References:
Bertelsen, E. 1951. The ceratioid fishes. Ontogeny, taxonomy, distribution and biology. Dana Rept. 39: 276 pp.
Bertelsen, E., T.W. Pietsch & R.J. Lavenberg. 1981. Ceratioid anglerfishes of the family Gigantactinidae: Morphology, systematics, and distribution. Nat. Hist. Mus. L. A. Co., Contri. Sci. 332, vi , 74 pp.
Bertelsen, E. & T.W. Pietsch. 1998. Revision of the deepsea anglerfish genus Rhynchactis Regan (Lophiiformes: Gigantactinidae), with descriptions of two new species. Copeia 1998(3): 583-590.
Moore, J.A. 2002. Upside-Down Swimming Behaviour in a Whipnose Anglerfish (Teleost: Ceratioidei: Gigantactinidae). Copeia 2002(4): 1144-1146.
Pietsch, T.W. 1999. Gigantactinidae. Whipnose anglerfishes (deepsea anglerfishes. P. 2036, In Carpenter, K.E. & V.H. Niem. Species identification guide for fisheries purposes. The living marine resources of the western central Pacific. Batoid fishes, chimeras and bony fishes. Part 1 (Elopidae to Linophrynidae). FAO, Rome.
Pietsch, T.W. 2005. Dimorphism, parasitism, and sex revisited: modes of reproduction among deep-sea ceratioid anglerfishes (Teleostei: Lophiiformes). Ichthyol. Res. 52: 207-236.
Pietsch, T.W. & Kenaley, C.P. 2005. Gigantactinidae. Whipnose seadevils. Version 06 November 2005 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Gigantactinidae/22011/2005.11.06 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/