Definitions for ogcocephalidae
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Ogcocephalidae, family Ogcocephalidae(noun)
batfishes: sluggish bottom-dwelling spiny fishes
Ogcocephalidae is a family of bottom-dwelling, specially adapted fish. They are sometimes referred to as seabats, batfishes or anglerfishes. They are found in deep, lightless waters of the Atlantic, Indian and western Pacific Oceans. They are dorso-ventrally compressed fishes similar in appearance to rays, with a large circular, triangular, or box-shaped head and a small tail. The largest members of the family are about 50 centimetres in length. The illicium can be retracted into an illicial cavity above the mouth. The esca is not luminous as in most other groups of anglerfishes, but secretes a fluid that is hypothesized to act as a chemical lure, attracting prey. Analysis of their stomach contents indicates that batfishes feed on fish, crustaceans, and polychaete worms. They are bottom-dwelling fishes, mostly found on the continental slope at depths between 200 metres and 1,000 metres. However, some New World genera live in much shallower coastal waters and river estuaries.
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"ogcocephalidae." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2015. Web. 25 Nov. 2015. <http://www.definitions.net/definition/ogcocephalidae>.