Antennarius indicus

Antennarius indicus, the Indian frogfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. The Indian frogfish is found in the Indian Ocean.

Taxonomy
Antennarius indicus was first formally described in 1964 by the American ichthyologist Leonard Peter Schultz with its type locality given as Vizagapatam in India. Within the genus Antennarius the Indian frogfish belongs to the striatus species group. The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the genus Antennarius in the family Antennariidae within the suborder Antennarioidei within the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes.

Etymology
Antennarius indicus has the genus name Antennarius which suffixes -ius to antenna, an allusion to first dorsal spine being adapted into a tentacle on the snout used as a lure to attract prey. The specific name indicus refers to the type locality in India.

Description
Antennarius indicus has an illicium which is roughly equal in length to the second dorsal spine and which has an esca, or lure, which is made up of leaf like appendages. The dorsal fin has 12 soft rays while the anal fin has 7 soft rays. In life the colour of the body is tawny to brown marked with dark brown to black bars on the fins, which may be interconnected and which form stripes when the fins are folded. There are 2 or 3 obvious pale-margined ocelli, one below the base of the dorsal fin, one above and to the rear of the base of the pectoral fin and the other close to the base of the anal fin. Preserved specimens may be beige with pale fins and dark mottling. The Indian frogfish has a maximum published total length of 23 cm.

Distribution and habitat
Antennarius indicus is found in the western Indian Ocean from the Gulf of Aden south to northern Mozambique east tp southeastern India and Sri Lanka, including the Seychelles and Lakshadweep. The Indian frogfish between 0 and 30 m in sandy and muddy habitats close to coral reefs and algal beds.