Promoted
An adult female Johnson's Netdevil or Humpback Anglerfish (Melanocetus johnsonii). Part of the DEEPEND project.
The deep sea anglers are predatory, luring their prey with a bioluminescent bulb (an esca) at the end of a long rod (an illicium). This is Johnson’s Abyssal Seadevil, Melanocetus johnsonii, also known as the Humpback Anglerfish. The impressive teeth are used to impale and hold any prey item that moves in to investigate the glowing lure. This individual was captured in a trawl between 1,300 and 1,500 meters depth in the Gulf of Mexico, 2016.
''Melanocetus johnsonii'' is a species of black seadevils in the family of Melanocetidae, which means “black large sea creature” in Greek. It is named after James Yate Johnson after he discovered the fish in Madeira. The common names include humpback anglerfish, humpback blackdevil, and Johnson’s anglerfish.
