Red Lipped batfish

The red-lipped batfish or Galapagos batfish (Ogcocephalus darwini) is a fish of unusual morphology found around the Galapagos Islands at depths of 30m or more. Red-lipped batfish are closely related to rosy-lipped batfish (Ogcocephalus porrectus), which are found near Cocos Island off the coast of Costa Rica. This fish is mainly known for its bright red lips.

Batfish are not good swimmers; they use their highly-adapted pectoral fins to "walk" on the ocean floor. When the batfish reaches maturity, its dorsal fin becomes a single spine-like projection (thought to function primarily as a lure for prey). Like other anglerfish, the Red-Lipped Batfish has a structure on its head known as illicium. This structure is employed for attracting prey.
The body color of the Red-lipped Batfish is light brown and a greyish color on its back, with a white stomach.On the top side of the batfish, usually there is a dark brown stripe starting at the head and going all the way down the back to the tail. The snout and horn of the Red-lipped batfish is sort of a brownish color. And as the name of the fish states, the batfish has bright, almost fluorescent, red lips. The color of the squamation of the red-lipped batfish is shagreen like with a relatively smooth texture. The bucklers are concealed by a layer of fine spinules. When compared to the porrectus, red-lipped batfish have a shorter disk perimeter but higher fiber pectoral fin ray count. Regarding the amount of scales along the lateral like, there are four to nine subopercular scales, six to nine on the cheek usually. The red-lipped batfish usually has around nineteen vertebrae. Some may wonder where the fish gets it name from. Batfish get their name from their display. Batfish are said to resemble some characteristics that a bat possesses. However, the red-lipped batfish is not the only batfish in existence. All types of fish that are considered a “batfish” have consolidated bodies. All batfish fall into one of two families: Ephippidae, or Ogcocephalidae. Batfish that belong to the Ephippidae family typically have prolonged fins and parallel abridged bodies. On the other hand, batfish that belong to the Ogcocephalidae family, like the red-lipped batfish, usually have transversely compressed bodies and don't have normal sized fins. The longest red-lipped batfish that has been recorded is about 40 cm long. Red-lipped batfish are not your typical fish saltwater fish, in fact they are far from it. From appearance, to physically ability they are far from ordinary. Batfish are not good swimmers;they are bottom dwellers who “walk” across the ocean floor instead of swimming. They have altered pectoral fins that enable them to “walk”. On the top of the batfish's head there is a special body part that extends outward called an illicium. After the red-lipped batfish fully matures, its dorsal fin becomes a single spine-like projection that comes out of the top of the head. The batfish uses the illicium as a way to lure prey near them. The longlure angler fish also has an illicium on the top of its head. Much like the red-lipped batfish, the longlure angler fish also uses their illicium to hunt for their preys. At the top of their illicium, is an esca. The esca puts off a bright light and since these two fish dwell in deep waters, the light lures other fish over near where the batfish is positioned. The esca lures the prey over to the batfish which then allows them to eat on the small creatures that fall into the batfish’s trap. Red -lipped batfish have extremely bright red lips, which allows people to distinguish them from other batfish. Marine biologists believe that the bright red lips of the red-lipped batfish may be used to enhance species recognition during spawning. Although they are very strange looking, they are harmless to humans.