Linophryne arborifera

The literal translation of Linophryne arborifera from Greek is "tree-bearing flax-toad" (λίνον+φρύνος, arboriferous). This species is differentiated from congeners by characters of the esca and barbel; males of the genus cannot be differentiated in morphology. At a length of up to , females are significantly larger than the males, which reach only about . Both sexes are pigmented after metamorphosis, being black in color. They have no scales and gelatinous skin. ==Distribution and habitat==

Linophryne arborifera is bathypelagic, typically inhabiting depths of , with the holotype being collected at a depth of in the north Atlantic. The deepest record for females is , while a male was collected down. The species is thought to inhabit tropical and subtropical oceans, with specimens also found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, although the IUCN only considers Atlantic records to be of this species. ==Biology==

Feeding Recorded prey of the genus Linophryne include fishes and crustaceans. Attached males obtain their nutrition from the female. They attach to the female with their jaws on her ventral surface. Blood vessels and tissues between them become integrated, allowing nutrients to pass from the female to the male. Based on finding empty stomachs in captured free-living males, linophrynid males are thought to be unable to feed during their free-living stage after metamorphosis. Also, the "short and stout" denticulars of the upper and lower jaws of these males do not seem suitable for prey capture, and the alimentary canal is undeveloped. Attached males are nearly always found upside down, facing forward, and attached to the belly close to the anus. In all specimens found so far, only one male is attached to each female, which differs from some other angler fish species. Females without attached males and free-living males do not have well-developed gonads, so it seems that they must be attached for maturation and reproduction to occur. A 77-mm female Linophryne arborifera, with a 15-mm parasitic male, was observed to have numerous eggs embedded in a gelatinous mass (the "egg raft" or "veil", a characteristic of all lophiiform fishes) protruding from the genital opening; the eggs, 0.6–0.8mm in diameter, are among the largest known for any ceratioid. ==References==