© Baker, J.L. (2009) Marine Species of Conservation Concern in South Australia Full citation Baker, J.L. (2009) Marine Species of Conservation Concern in South Australia: Volume 1 - Bony and Cartilaginous Fishes. Report for the South Australian Working Group for Marine Species of Conservation Concern. J. Baker (consultant); Science and Conservation Division, and Coast and Marine Conservation branches of S.A. Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH); Marine and Coastal Community Network of S.A. (MCCN), and Threatened Species Network (TSN). Web version published by Reef Watch, South Australia.

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Bougainville’s Anglerfish / Smooth Anglerfish

Family Name:	Antennariidae
Scientific Name:	Histiophryne bougainvilli (Valenciennes, 1837)
Recommended Status in S.A:	Data Deficient
Rationale:  Bougainville’s Anglerfish is included here because (i) the species appears to have a very restricted depth range, and is found on shallow subtidal reefs (and possibly other hard structures in the nearshore area), which can increase the vulnerability of populations to site-specific coastal impacts, including habitat damage; (ii) shallow water temperate anglerfishes in general are potentially vulnerable to population decline, due to their strong site association, low fecundity, benthic reproduction and (probably) restricted dispersal ability; (iii) some temperate anglerfishes are sought after in the specialist aquarium trade, which may cause localised population depletion, but there is little information on the source of specimens from southern Australia that appear in the trade; (iv) the species is rare in fish collections, is known from few specimens, and most of the records in South Australia were collected prior to 1940; and (v) there is little information on the distribution, relative abundance or rarity (including the S.A. part of the range), and few data on the depth range, habitat requirements, and biology of this species.

Page Contents

Current Conservation Status

No listings known

Distribution

Australia

The species is found in eastern and south-eastern Australia (Pietsch, in Gomon et al., 1994), with most records of specimens reported to be Histiophryne bougainvilli from Queensland, New South Wales, and South Australia (Pietsch, in Gomon et al., 1994; Australian Museum records, South Australian Museum records, Museum of Victoria record, cited in OZCAM database, 2004, 2007). It is noted that Paxton et al. (1989) included W.A. and Victoria in the distribution, but evidence of the species’ existence in those States could not be found for this report.

South Australia

To date in S.A., the species is known from the gulfs region, but no surveys have been undertaken to determine whether the species occurs east or west of that region, in other parts of the State.
Examples of locations in S.A. where specimens (reputed to be this species) have been recorded include the Ceduna area of the far west coast; the Tiparra / Moonta Bay area of Spencer Gulf; Sir Joseph Banks Island Group in south-western Spencer Gulf; locations around the ‘heel’ of Yorke Peninsula; Port Vincent area in western Gulf St Vincent; the metropolitan area of Gulf St Vincent (e.g. Seacliff area, and other locations), and the north-eastern bays region of Kangaroo Island (South Australian Museum records, Museum of Victoria record, cited in OZCAM database, 2004 and 2007, and CSIRO, 2007).

Habitat

The species is found inshore (Paxton et al., 1989, cited in Froese and Pauly, 2007), in shallow waters (Pietsch, in Gomon et al., 1994). There are records from 3m to at least 6m, but the full depth range has not been determined.
The habitat is not well described, but specimens have been observed in the vicinity of shallow reefs (e.g. SA Museum specimen F07323, cited in OZCAM database, 2007).

Notes on the Biology

The species grows to around 9cm (Pietsch, in Gomon et al., 1994).
Histiophryne bougainvilli is highly variable in colour (e.g. beige, pale yellow, yellow-brown, pinkish-brown to dark chocolate brown), and some specimens are covered with small, close-set ocelli (spots) that are darker than the base colour on the body (Gomon et al., 1994).
The species is reported to be oviparous (Breder and Rosen, 1966, cited in Froese and Pauly, 2007), and eggs are attached to each other by a single, flattened, acellular filament, and are brooded in a hollow behind a parent’s left pectoral fin (Pietsch and Grobecker, 1987).

Fisheries / Trade Information

Japan is one of the countries to which aquarium specimens from Australia are exported (as evidenced by photographs from an aquarium company in Japan). The source of specimens could not be found for this report.

Vulnerable Characteristics of the Species

Bougainville’s Anglerfish is a benthic species found in shallow, nearshore reef habitats. The habitat requirements and limited known depth range of this species may increase its vulnerability to site-specific coastal impacts (including habitat damage).
Anglerfishes have low fecundity, benthic reproduction (with parental brooding) and (probably) restricted dispersal ability, which are characteristics that increase the vulnerability of such fishes to population decline. Pogonoski et al. (2002) discussed the vulnerability of other fish families with similar reproductive characteristics.

Threatening Processes

Bougainville’s Anglerfish occurs on reefs in the shallow subtidal, and such habitats in some parts of S.A. are subject to land-based impacts. For example, studies undertaken on metropolitan and southern Gulf St Vincent reefs since the mid-1990s (see Cheshire et al., 1998; Cheshire and Westphalen, 2000; Smith, 2000, cited by EPA S.A., 2003; Turner and Cheshire, 2002) have shown that, at some reefs, decline in cover of large brown macroalgae (and increased cover of smaller, turfing species) may be an indicator of pollution, particularly increased turbidity and sedimentation. Populations of reef-associated fish species of limited dispersal ability (such as Histiophryne bougainvilli) may be adversely affected by such habitat decline in nearshore reefs; however, there are no specific data.
Some temperate anglerfishes are sought after in the specialist aquarium trade (which may cause localised population depletion), but there is no information on the capture of this species in southern Australia for that purpose.

Research Requirements

The species is rare in fish collections, and is known from few specimens (Pietsch, in Gomon et al., 1994). Most of the records in South Australia were collected prior to 1940. The taxonomy of specimens in Australian museums should be checked.
There is little information on the distribution, relative abundance or rarity, habitat, and biology.
S.A. records are from the gulfs region. Surveys are required to determine whether the species has a wider distribution in S.A., or whether it is restricted to the gulfs, in the S.A. part of the range.
Marine photographers with an interest in the less common anglerfishes should be encouraged to provide their photographs (with date, and location) to museums in southern Australia, for positive identification, and to assist with the records bank for such species.

Other Information

Bougainville’s Anglerfish closely resembles the Rodless Anglerfish H. cryptacantha (Pietsch, in Gomon et al., 1994). It is noted that all specimens in the Western Australian Museum that were previously  identified as H. bougainvilli were in fact H. cryptacantha, when the identifications were checked (B. Hutchins, W.A. Museum, pers. comm., 2007).