Deep-sea anglerfish are found in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Indian Ocean. Their ranges differ by species, though, and “anglerfish” also refers to shallow-water relatives—not only deep-sea fish.
Are deep-sea anglerfish found in the Atlantic or Pacific?
Both. MBARI describes deep-sea anglerfish as living worldwide, and Smithsonian Ocean specifically names the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. That broad distribution does not mean any one species occurs throughout all those oceans: individual ranges vary.
For example, MBARI documented Chaunacops coloratus near California’s Taney Seamounts in the eastern North Pacific at approximately 2,600 m (about 8,530 ft). This is a specific Pacific observation, not evidence that the species lives throughout the Pacific. MBARI’s report on the observation provides the locality and depth.
What does “anglerfish” mean?
Anglerfish can refer broadly to the order Lophiiformes, which includes deep-sea forms as well as shallow-water relatives such as frogfish, handfish, batfish, sea toads, and goosefish. Smithsonian Ocean describes the group as worldwide, mostly associated with the seafloor, though some live in open water. MBARI likewise notes that members occupy varied habitats. The ocean-wide answer above applies specifically to deep-sea anglerfish, not every member of this broader group. See Smithsonian Ocean’s anglerfish overview and MBARI’s deep-sea anglerfish overview.
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How deep do deep-sea anglerfish live?
MBARI gives a group-level reference depth range of 300–4,000 m (980–13,200 ft), with deep-sea anglerfish found in midwater and on the seafloor. Those bounds do not mean that every species occupies the entire interval. Larvae of some species may occur at shallower depths. The approximately 2,600 m Pacific observation of Chaunacops coloratus is one documented example within that broader range.
Why do Atlantic and Pacific ranges differ by species?
Anglerfish is not one species with a single ocean-wide range. Species-level records show differences even among fish in the genus Lophius. A NOAA-hosted Fishery Bulletin paper gives these examples:
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| Species | Reported distribution |
|---|---|
| White anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius) | Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean |
| Shortspine African angler (Lophius vaillanti) | Eastern Atlantic |
| Devil anglerfish (Lophius vomerinus) | Southeast Atlantic and northern and western Indian Ocean |
| Blackfin goosefish (Lophius gastrophysus) | Western Atlantic |
| Goosefish (Lophius americanus) | Northwest Atlantic |
| Yellow goosefish (Lophius litulon) | Northwest Pacific, Gulf of Po-Hai, Yellow Sea, and East China Sea |
These are examples from one genus, not a complete range map for all anglerfish or for all deep-sea species. The paper’s species distributions are useful for showing why “Atlantic or Pacific?” has a broad answer for the group but a more specific answer for any named species: NOAA-hosted Fishery Bulletin paper.
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