Yellow Goosefish / Japanese Anglerfish

IUCN

Scientific Name：Lophius litulon

Basic Information

Scientific classification

name：Yellow Goosefish / Japanese Anglerfish
Scientific Name：Lophius litulon
Outline：Small fish
Family：Lophiidae Lophius

Vital signs

length：Typically 50–80 cm; max ~100–120 cm
Weight：Several kilograms in large adults
lifetime：Approx. 10–15 years

Feature

Ambush predator; illicium+esca; huge gape suction; gelatinous egg veil; robust pectorals for propping/walking.

Distribution and Habitat

NW Pacific sandy‑mud shelves/slopes off Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan; ~20–300 m.

Appearance

Broad depressed head; yellow‑brown camouflage; recurved teeth; fleshy lobes; stout pectorals.

Details

Lophius litulon—the yellow goosefish (Japanese anglerfish)—is a large demersal predator in theNW Pacific (family Lophiidae). The first dorsal spine forms an illicium with an esca used to lure prey, which are engulfed by a rapid suction strike.

Ecology & Biology

Diet: small–medium demersal fishes, cephalopods and crustaceans.
Behaviour: classic sit‑and‑wait ambush on soft bottoms; capable of short lunges.
Reproduction: females release a huge gelatinous egg veil; larvae are planktonic.

Identification

Broad, depressed head and an extremely large gape with recurved teeth.
Robust pectoral fins used for propping/walking; fleshy lobes aid camouflage.
Diagnostic illicium + esca morphology.

Size & Longevity

Length: typically 50–80 cm, maximum ~100–120 cm.
Weight: large adults reach several kilograms.
Life: about 10–15 years.

Range & Habitat

Japan, Korean Peninsula, Chinese seas (Bohai–Yellow–East China) and Taiwan; sandy‑mud continental shelves/slopes at ~20–300 m or deeper.

Fisheries & Conservation

Fisheries: commercially important (trawls/longlines/gillnets); flesh and liver (ankimo) valued.
Management: regional stock measures recommended—limit trawling, reduce juvenile bycatch, protect spawning grounds.

IUCN: Least Concern (LC) (check latest assessment).