Scarlet frogfish
Abantennarius coccineus
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Scarlet frogfish
- Scientific
- Abantennarius coccineus
- Dhivehi
- ކުލަ ބޮއްމަސްKula bohmas
- Group
- Reef fish
- Maximum size
- Up to about 13 cm (total length) (FishBase); MRS 1997 gives max. 13 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 10 to 75 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2021
Description
A small, globular frogfish whose colour varies from yellow to red or pale tan, often mottled and spotted. It sits motionless among rocks, sponges and rubble, waving a fishing lure on its snout to draw small fish within reach, then swallows them in a fraction of a second. Its camouflage is so good that divers rarely notice it.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name kula bohmas (MRS 1997). MRS notes it is not rare in the Maldives but is seldom seen because of its camouflage.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Abantennarius-coccineus.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ކުލަ_ބޮއްމަސް
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Antennarius_coccineus_SI.jpg
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives (FAO/BOBP MAG/21) gives 'Kula bohmas' (Latin form). Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ކުލަ ބޮއްމަސް' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition); it matches the Latin form. FishBase also lists 'Gouthere-mas' under India (Minicoy/Lakshadweep Mahl dialect); not used. FLAG: the source states no traditional name was recorded and this descriptive name was coined for the book; it is not an established fishermen's name.