Chaunax africanus, African coffinfish

Chaunax africanus Ho & Last, 2013

African coffinfish
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Chaunax africanus   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Chaunax africanus (African coffinfish)
Chaunax africanus
Picture by Ho, H.-C.

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

Teleostei (teleosts) > Lophiiformes (Anglerfishes) > Chaunacidae (Sea toads o coffinfishes)
Etymology: Chaunax: Greek, chaunax, -akos = a conceited man (Ref. 45335); africanus: Named for the types' regional locality; its decorated pattern is similar to some strikingly coloured African animals like the giraffe.

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

Marine; demersal; depth range 162 - 200 m (Ref. 94130). Tropical

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Western Indian Ocean: Mozambique (probably endemic in the southwestern Indian Ocean).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 22.7 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 94130)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 3; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12; Anal soft rays: 6 - 7. This species which is a member of the C. fimbriatus-species group is distinguished from its congeners in having the following characters: body is covered by variable-sized, irregular brownish patches and a complex white reticulate pattern; eye circled by prominent radiating brownish markings; dorsal-fin base with 2-3 pairs of narrow brownish bars; pale reticulate markings frequently double-lined; pattern extending forward to front of lower jaw, and over pectoral and caudal fins; bridging each neuromast are 3-4 pairs of spinules; second gill arch with 8-9 rakers; short and stout illicium; small illicial trough oval in shape; esca with numerous thin pale cirri with brown tips; pale gill chamber; peritoneal membrane black; lateral-line neuromast counts: upper preopercular = 2, infraorbital = 6-7, hyomandibular = 3, pectoral = 10-12, body proper = 31-32 (Ref. 94130).
Body shape (shape guide): other (see remarks); Cross section: flattened.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

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

Ho, H.-C. and P.R. Last, 2013. Two new species of the coffinfish genus Chaunax (Lophiiformes: Chaunacidae) from the Indian Ocean. Zootaxa 3710(5):436-448. (Ref. 94130)

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

  Data deficient (DD) ; Date assessed: 12 October 2018

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 | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search |