Painted Frogfish
Antennarius pictus
Sighting evidence at Pig Island, Madang
Photo: Marine Explorer (Dr John Turnbull) · CC BY-NC-SA
Painted frogfish sit motionless on sponges and coral rubble around Pig Island, their masterful camouflage — which they can slowly alter over days to match new backgrounds — making them among the most difficult macro subjects to relocate between dives. They hunt by wriggling a modified dorsal spine (the illicium) tipped with a fleshy lure (the esca) above their heads to attract prey, then engulfing victims in a strike so fast — 6 milliseconds — that it is among the fastest movements recorded in any vertebrate.
Evidence at this site
No confirmed records on file at this site
Painted Frogfish is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.