The Sargassum Frogfish (Histrio histrio Linnaeus) observed in mangroves in St. John, US Virgin Islands
Coral Reefs
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Abstract
The Sargassum Frogfish (Histrio histrio), the only pelagic member of the frogfish family Antennariidae, is considered an obligate associate of floating mats of the brown algae Sargassum natans and S. fluitans (Adams 1960; Dooley 1972; Pietsch and Grobecker 1987). Between February and April 2010, 20 of these fish were observed in three mangrove-fringed bays in Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument, St. John, US Virgin Islands. All of them were clinging to clumps of the red alga Acanthophora spicifera growing on the submerged prop roots of red mangrove trees (Rhizophora mangle) distributed along an estimated total of 2,160 mof shoreline (Fig. 1). All of the fish were at a depth of less than 0.5 meters. Two individuals were seen on one prop root, but the other 18 were solitary. Their estimated standard lengths ranged from about 20 to 100 mm. Littler and Littler (2000, p. 295) published a photograph of one individual in blades of the green alga Ulva lactuca growing on a prop root in Belize. This is the first report of the Sargassum Frogfish living in association with attached algae.
Suggested Citation
Rogers, C., Pietsch, T., Randall, J., Arnold, R., 2010, The Sargassum Frogfish (Histrio histrio Linnaeus) observed in mangroves in St. John, US Virgin Islands: Coral Reefs, v. 29, no. 3, p. 577-577.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | The Sargassum Frogfish (Histrio histrio Linnaeus) observed in mangroves in St. John, US Virgin Islands |
| Series title | Coral Reefs |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Year Published | 2010 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Publisher location | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Contributing office(s) | Southeast Ecological Science Center |
| Description | 1 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Coral Reefs |
| First page | 577 |
| Last page | 577 |
| Time Range Start | 2010-02-01 |
| Time Range End | 2010-04-30 |
| Country | United States |
| Other Geospatial | Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument;St. John;U.S. Virgin Islands |