frogfish

English

A frogfish (antennariid), Antennarius striatus

A frogfish (batrachoidid), Opsanus beta

Etymology

From frog +‎ fish.

Noun

frogfish (plural frogfishes or frogfish)

1. Any of several benthic anglerfish, of the family Antennariidae, having a frog-like mouth with a lure.
2. Any of the benthic ray-finned fish of the family Batrachoididae (the sole family of order Batrachoidiformes), which are ambush predators and have a toad-like appearance.
   • 2016 October 22, Frogfish turns ghostly white to match a bleached coral, New Scientist, Issue 3096, page 15,

     Warty frogfish are sedentary seafloor dwellers that can change colour over a few weeks. […] Since the warm waters off the Maldives abound in vibrantly coloured corals, the frogfish there typically sport matching orange or pinkish hues, says Gabriel Grimsditch of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Maldives in Malé.

3. (archaic) Any fish of genus Lophius.

Synonyms

• (fish of family Antennariidae): antennariid
• (fish of family Batrachoididae): batrachoidid, toadfish

See also

• toadfish

Further reading

• frogfish on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “frogfish”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.