A New Resident - Marble Mouth Frogfish

It would appear that the rare Marble Mouth Frogfish (Lophiocharon lithinostomus) is not so rare in the waters of North Borneo or at least within the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, just off shore Kota Kinabalu City.

Since it was first described in 1908 by Jordon and Richardson internet searches reveal very few sightings or species information and even fewer images.

We have however found two creatures within the park throughout the last year and our recent discovery has not moved from its shallow reef home for a number of weeks.

Our images confirm its identity, note the long twig like Illicium (rod) with no actual lure on the tip and its typical lifeless appearance.

Should you wish to learn more about these wonderfully ugly creatures please visit our Marine Biology Frogfish section.

To read more about a previous encounter with the Marble Mouth see our Creature Features section within this blog or use this link.