New Frogfish

Behold one of the newest additions to the frogfish family: Histiophryne psychedelica.

That's right. Check out the Latin name. See the word psychedelic in it? The describer of this species, one Ted Pietsch, gave it that name because of the fish's coloring. This frogfish differs from its frogfish cousins in several regards. For one, those colors never change. Other frogfish change their colors camouflage-style to blend in with its surroundings. Not so with psychedelica.

And then there's the fish's locomotion. Sure, it crawls around like other frogfish. But this little guy is also able to hop by squirting jets of sea water.

Last but not least, check out its face. See anything unusual? It's in the eyes. Both are forward facing, giving it binocular vision.

So, we see that sometimes the most surprises come in small packages, and such is the case with this four inch fish. I'm just happy to have another frogfish inductee.

Thanks for the article, Judy.

Photo source: David Hall/seaphotos.com via Science News