Antennarius euglyphus

Antennarius euglyphus

Stinton, 1966

Common name Frogfish
Fossil group Bony Fish
Order Lophiiformes
Family Antennariidae
Genus Antennarius
Taxonomic status Accepted
Geological age Ypresian

Summary

Antennarius euglyphus represents an early record of the frogfish lineage, a group of highly specialised anglerfishes. Living frogfishes are slow-moving ambush predators that use a modified dorsal-fin spine as a lure, but A. euglyphus is known from otoliths rather than a complete skeleton. Its placement therefore indicates that antennariids were present by the early Eocene, while the detailed body form and behaviour of this particular species remain inferred from its family relationship.

The fossil record of A. euglyphus is consequently very different from that of the large three-dimensional London Clay skulls. The species is recognised through the morphology of the sagittal otolith, an internal ear stone whose shape and sulcus preserve taxonomically useful characters even when the rest of the fish is absent.

Quick Identification

Look for: a small, thick frogfish-type sagittal otolith with a compact oval outline and a deeply incised, nearly horizontal central sulcus; the inner face is strongly sculpted around the sulcus and the posterior outline is oblique rather than evenly rounded.

Diagnostic Features

  • Otolith is small, thick and compact rather than thin and elongate.
  • Outline is broadly oval with a blunt anteroventral corner.
  • Sulcus is deep, centrally placed and approximately horizontal.
  • Crista superior is strongly expressed and bordered by a distinct dorsal depression.
  • Posterior margin is oblique, producing an asymmetrical rear profile.

Fossil Details

Preservation
London Clay otoliths may be chipped, rounded, dissolved or polished. Damage to the rostrum and antirostrum changes the outline, while abrasion of the inner face can weaken or erase the sulcus; either can make a species-level identification unsafe.

Recorded Fossil Sites

No fossil-site occurrences have yet been recorded for this species.

References

  • Carnevale, G.; Pietsch, T. W. (2009). An Eocene frogfish from Monte Bolca, Italy: the earliest known skeletal record for the family. Palaeontology, 52(4), 745–752 View reference
  • Steurbaut, E.; Nolf, D. (1988). Ypresian teleost otoliths from Belgium and northwestern France. Bulletin de la Société belge de Géologie, 97(3–4), 321–347 View reference
  • Stinton, F. C. (1966). Fish otoliths from the London Clay. Faune ichthyologique du London Clay, 404–464. British Museum (Natural History), London View reference
Last Reviewed
15 August 2026 Reviewed by Sam Harris