Teleostei (teleosts) >
Lophiiformes (Anglerfishes) >
Ogcocephalidae (Batfishes)
Etymology: Malthopsis: Greek, malthe, es = a marine fish of soft flesh (Ref. 45335); austrafricana: Named for southern Africa, the area where the type series was collected.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; depth range 170 - 700 m (Ref. 94126). Tropical
Western Indian Ocean: off South Africa, Mozambique and Madagascar.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 8.4 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 94126)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
This species is distinguished by the following set of characters: body covered with conical bucklers and numerous prickles; long rostrum (mean 8.3% SL) is stout, pointed, with a broad base, directed forward horizontally; top of head with 3 irregular rows of bucklers; ventral surface of disk is densely covered by prickles and small flat bucklers, some have slightly larger and denser bucklers on breast than on belly; blunt subopercular buckler without well-developed spines; small orbit (mean 12.5% SL); small spinelets on the tips of both post-subopercular bucklers; broad interorbital space (mean 8.4% SL), forming a deep groove; OD/RL = 1.1-1.9; OD/IO = 1.3-1.7; when depressed, anal fin reaches or is beyond caudal-fin base (Ref. 94126).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Ho, H.-C., 2013. Two new species of the batfish genus Malthopsis (Lophiiformes: Ogcocephalidae) from the Western Indian Ocean. Zootaxa 3716:289-300. (Ref. 94126)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Tools
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 9.9 - 15.8, mean 13.2 °C (based on 35 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5001 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01479 (0.00517 - 0.04233), b=2.93 (2.68 - 3.18), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.3 ±0.5 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).