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Holotype with each primary branch of distal escal appendage distinctly trifurcated, each secondary branch cleft at distal tip; paratypes with each primary branch of distal escal appendage bifurcated; 43-mm paratype with extreme tip of each secondary branch of distal escal appendage bifurcated or trifurcated; 122-mm paratype with three of four secondary branches of distal escal appendage divided into tiny tertiary branches; posterior escal appendage bifurcated some distance above base; holotype with three unpaired illicial appendages, distal-most emerging from stem of illicium about 1.5 times diameter of escal bulb below base of posterior escal appendage; 43-mm paratype with two pairs of illicial appendages, distal-most pair situated about diameter of bulb below base of posterior escal appendage; 122-mm paratype with illicial appendages absent; illicial appendages unpigmented except for some scattered melanophores in skin of distal escal appendage; escal structures and stem of illicium without small dermal spinules in two smaller specimens (43–48 mm); dermal spinules present in 122-mm paratype, distal-most scattered on undivided part of distal escal appendage and on proximal part of one of its primary branches; 2–4 large spines present on each pectoral lobe, 7 or 8 on each side of body of two smaller specimens, about 30 on each side of body of larger paratype; papillae of snout and chin well developed; skin on papillated area as well as other parts of body darkly pigmented except for small white spots behind dorsal fin and in front and behind anal fin of holotype; dorsal-fin rays 5; anal-fin rays 4; pectoral-fin rays 16 or 17.
Metamorphosed females of H. multifurcatus differ from those of other species of the H. albinares-group in having the following combination of character states: length of illicium 50–69% SL; undivided proximal part of distal escal appendage 18–32% SL, each primary branch with two or three bifurcations, unpigmented, 34–52% SL in total length; posterior escal appendage unpigmented, 5.6–7.0% SL; 0–4 posterolateral appendages on stem of illicium, longest (distal-most) pair 0–4.2% SL; escal bulb and distal escal appendage of largest known specimen with small scattered dermal spinules.
The holotype was caught in the Eastern Equatorial Atlantic, the two paratypes from off Florida, and a fourth specimen from the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
Meso- and possibly bathypelagic. The maximum fishing depths for the three smaller specimens were between 200 and 365 m; depth of capture of the 122-mm paratype is unknown.
Pietsch TW. 2009. Oceanic Anglerfishes: Extraordinary Diversity in the Deep Sea. Berkley: University of California Press. 638 p.
Metamorphosed females of the H. albinares-group differ from those of the other species of the genus in having the following combination of character states: The distal light-guiding escal appendage is bifurcated at less than 1% SL to 32% SL above its base; each main branch is simple or with one to three bifurcations, its total length greater than the diameter of the escal bulb in specimens more than 30 mm, 8–52% SL in specimens 30–70 mm, 24–82% SL in larger specimens. A more-or-less distinct pair of posterolateral, distal swellings is present on the escal bulb. An anterior escal appendage is absent. The posterior escal appendage is divided near its base into two primary branches, each simple, or bifurcating distally once or twice. The total length of the posterior escal appendage is 3.5–23% SL, about as long as the distal escal appendage in smaller specimens, much shorter than the distal escal appendage in specimens greater than 70 mm. There are 0–9 posterolateral appendages on the stem of the illicium; the distal-most pair, when present, is located near the base of the escal bulb, just below the base of the posterior escal appendage, the longest 0–23% SL. Most species of the group have small dermal spinules on the stem of the illicium; in some species, the spinules extend onto the surface of the escal bulb and distal escal appendage. The papillae of the snout and chin are well developed (except in specimens less than about 40 mm). “White patches” of skin are present or absent. The caudal-fin rays are unpigmented distally, irregularly spotted proximally in juvenile specimens (less than about 50 mm), but darkly pigmented in larger specimens.
Known from four metamorphosed females at 42–122 mm SL.
WALTER HERWIG station 14 II/68, 4°11'N, 24°37'W, MT, 180–200 m, 1 February 1968.
Holotype of Himantolophus multifurcatus: ISH 764/68, 48 mm SL.
Himantolophus multifurcatus is a species of footballfish, a type of anglerfish. The fish is bathypelagic and has been found at depths ranging from 200 to 365 metres (656 to 1,198 ft). It is endemic to the east central Atlantic Ocean.[1]
Himantolophus multifurcatus is a species of footballfish, a type of anglerfish. The fish is bathypelagic and has been found at depths ranging from 200 to 365 metres (656 to 1,198 ft). It is endemic to the east central Atlantic Ocean.
