Monkfish

Lophius piscatorius

A bottom-dwelling ambush fish with a huge head and wide mouth. It uses a lure-like fin ray to draw prey close before gulping it from the seabed.

Key facts

Monkfish (Lophius piscatorius) is a carnivore animal classified as Fish · Lophiiformes · Lophiidae.
Primary habitats are open ocean · coast, with a range across Atlantic Ocean · Palearctic.
Activity is cathemeral, sociality is solitary, and conservation status is LC (Least Concern).
A bottom-dwelling ambush fish with a huge head and wide mouth.
Occurs on continental shelves and slopes of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, on sand, mud, gravel, and deeper coastal bottoms.

Habitat range map

Native rangeOccasional / Transient

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Occurs on continental shelves and slopes of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, on sand, mud, gravel, and deeper coastal bottoms.

The head is broad and flattened, while the body narrows behind it. A modified dorsal fin ray forms a fishing-rod-like lure above the mouth.

It lies camouflaged on the seafloor and flicks the lure to attract prey. Its strategy is ambush rather than active pursuit.

It swallows fishes, squid, and crustaceans, using sudden suction and a large mouth to capture animals that come close.

Females release long gelatinous ribbons of eggs into the sea. Young fish gradually take on the adult bottom-dwelling form.

The tail is valued as seafood. Because it is taken in bottom fisheries, regional stock management is important.