Puck pinnata Pietsch 1978

Metamorphosed females distinguished by the following characteristics: wide ethmoid cartilage and vomer, wider than distance between anterolateral tips of lateral ethmoids and frontals; presence of vomerine teeth; nasal foramina large and oval in shape; short frontals, lying posterior to the ethmoid region, strongly convex dorsal margin; ventromedial extensions of frontals approach each other on midline, making contact with parasphenoid; frontals separated from prootics; presence of pterosphenoid; anterior end of illicial trough wider and shallower than posterior end; extremely well developed sphenotic spines; symphysial cartilage of upper jaw longer than wide; lower jaw with well developed symphysial spine; hyomandibula with double head; extremely well developed quadrate spine, nearly six times the length of articular spine; deeply notched posterior margin of opercle; subopercle small, elongate and narrow throughout its length, dorsal end tapering to a point, rounded ventral end; absence of first pharyngobranchial; well developed second pharyngobranchial; second hypobranchial directly articulates with second basibranchial; caudal fin rays without internal pigmentation; illicium longer than length of esca bulb; pterygoiphore of illicium cylindrical throughout its length, emerging on snout from between frontal bones, anterior end slightly exposed, posterior end concealed beneath skin; well developed first ray of dorsal fin; dorsal fin rays 5; anal fin rays 4; long and narrow pectoral fin lobe, longer than longest rays of pectoral fin; pectoral fin rays 19-20; coracoid lacking posteroventral process; simple pelvic bones, slightly expanded distally; skin is naked, without dermal spinules; darkly pigmented skin of caudal peduncle extends well past base of caudal fin (Ref. 86949).

Dorsal soft rays (total): 5; Analsoft rays: 4

Presumably bathypelagic.

Puck pinnata, the mischievous dreamer, is a species of anglerfish in the family Oneirodidae known only from the northwest Pacific Ocean. As with all other species in the family, it is a pelagic, deep-water fish that is a member of the abyssal ecosystem. It is the only known species in the genus Puck.