Todd Clardy, NHM's Ichthyology Collections Manager, said the museum has only one other anglerfish from California waters, collected in 1983. Ultimately, it is difficult to say what the function of this fluorescence is without observing it in the wild, but it may allow the anglerfish to have a more enticing and complex lure to attract prey or mates in the cold, deep depths of our world’s oceans." However, this finding suggests that it may be more common than we think, and that it simply isn’t examined because researchers assume fluorescence isn’t occurring due to the lack of light in the deep oceans. We think that the combination of bioluminescence and biofluorescence in deep-sea animals is extremely rare, as it has only been documented in a few species (one other group of deep-sea fishes that aren’t anglerfish, a jellyfish, and a siphonophore). "What seems to be occurring is that the light produced by the bioluminescent lure (which occurs due to bioluminescent bacteria) is enabling this biofluorescence. Courtesy of the Natural History Museum of L.A. This is a notable finding because for biofluorescence to occur, there needs to be a source of light, which is completely absent in the deep sea." "From this specimen, we have the first documentation of biofluorescence in a deep-sea anglerfish, which will be published in the Journal of Fish Biology. We feel very fortunate to add her to our collection!" Strangely, this specimen was found washed up on a beach in pristine condition. Like all anglerfish, she has a bioluminescent lure (technical term an esca) that is used to attract prey in the pitch-black habitat where she lives between 1,000 and 4,000 feet deep. We know that this specimen is a female due to her size and shape, as males don’t ever get close to this size, and while males of other anglerfish families are known to be parasites that latch onto females, that has never been observed in this family. "This is a Pacific Footballfish ( Himantolophus sagamius), and she is quite large at about a foot in length. William Ludt of the extra large anglerfish found on the sand at Crystal Cove State Beach in Newport Beach. "It's one of only about 30 adult female specimens of this species, and having one washed up in this condition is extraordinary," said NHM’s Ichthyology Curator Dr. It was a thrilling day for the scientists (and a wide array of fish fans) in the Ichthyology Department in late May when a very rare specimen made its home at the museum.
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