Malthopsis gigas, Giant triangular batfish

Malthopsis gigas Ho & Shao, 2010

Giant triangular batfish
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Malthopsis gigas   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Malthopsis gigas (Giant triangular batfish)
Malthopsis gigas
Picture by Ho, H.-C.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Lophiiformes (Anglerfishes) > Ogcocephalidae (Batfishes)
Etymology: Malthopsis: Greek, malthe, es = a marine fish of soft flesh (Ref. 45335); gigas: Name refers to the giant adult body size of the genus (Ref. 84006).
Eponymy: Gigas was a giant in Greek mythology, the child of Uranus and Gaea. The name is applied to taxa that are giants of their kind. (Ref. 128868), visit book page.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 210 - 650 m (Ref. 123774). Subtropical

Distribution Territories | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Indo-Pacifc: Madagascar and Somalia to French Polynesia; north to Japan, south to New Zealand.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 13.6 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 84006)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal soft rays (total): 5 - 6. This species differs from its congeners in having the following characters: relatively long and strong rostrum (5.2-11.5% SL, x = 8.6% SL); rostral spine directed forward and upward; body heavily covered with strong conical bucklers; numerous small and flat bucklers covering dorsal surface between principal bucklers; dorsal and anal fins relatively long, 17.6-29.5% SL and 17.4-24.2% SL, respectively; dorsal surface with black spots; anal fin when fully laid back extends beyond caudal fin base; largest adult body size (up to 136.4 mm) among its congeners 9Ref. 84006).
Body shape (shape guide): other (see remarks).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Ho, Hsuan-Ching | Collaborators

Ho, H.-C. and K.-T. Shao, 2010. A review of Malthopsis jordani Gilbert, 1905, with description of a new batfish from the Indo-Pacific Ocean (Lophiiformes: Ogcocephalidae). Bull. Natl. Mus. Nat. Sci., Ser. A, (Suppl. 4):9-19. (Ref. 84006)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 13 August 2019

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | National databases | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search |