Meet the Australian anglerfish that prefers walking on the sea floor to swimming
In short: Handfish are bizarre, ray-finned creatures that use modified pectoral fins to stroll across the ocean floor. While they belong to the anglerfish order, they do not use their dorsal lures to hunt. Instead, these rare, small fish face existential threats in the coastal waters of Tasmania and southern Australia.
Handfish, or warty frogfish, belong to the subfamily Brachionichthyinae, which includes 14 extant species. These benthic fish are defined by their highly modified pectoral fins, which resemble hands and allow them to walk along the sea floor. Their skin is covered in denticles, giving them a warty appearance. Although they possess an illicium—a dorsal fin ray typical of anglerfish—it is short and does not function as a fishing lure.
The evolutionary history of these fish has been recently reclassified. While historically considered a distinct family, a 2025 phylogenetic study placed them as a subfamily within the Antennariidae. Their presence is largely restricted to Australian waters, though fossil records from the Early Eocene site of Monte Bolca in Italy suggest a much broader historical range. This geographical discrepancy remains an unusual feature of their sparse fossil record.
Conservation status for handfish is precarious. In 1996, the spotted handfish became the first marine fish listed as critically endangered by the IUCN. Threats include habitat degradation, siltation, and the invasive Northern Pacific seastar, which preys on their eggs and the ascidians they use for spawning. The smooth handfish was briefly declared extinct in 2020, though this was reversed in 2021 due to insufficient data. Conversely, the rare pink handfish was rediscovered in 2021 at depths of 150 meters, suggesting some species may inhabit deeper waters than previously assumed.
The lack of a pelagic larval stage limits their ability to disperse or recolonize habitats, making them highly vulnerable to local disturbances. Today, three species are listed as threatened under Australian legislation, and all handfish are protected under Tasmanian law, which strictly prohibits their collection without a permit. Their future remains tied to the health of the benthic communities they call home.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Handfish
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