An Easy Guide to Frogfish Species
By Justin Carmack
Last updated on Feb. 12. 2020.
Frogfish are one of my favorite things to run into on a dive, and I’ve heard many other divers say the same thing! They not only are the perfect photo subjects, because they don’t move much, but they are also one of the cutest critters in the seas!
I like them so much, that when I first arrived in Southeast Asia and dove the likes of Indonesia and Philippines, amazing places to find a variety of frogfish species, that I completely fell in love them.
From Indonesia to Malaysia to Philippines and beyond, it’s a frogfish paradise out there! I even took a PADI frogfish speciality course in Dauin, just to learn even more about what I was seeing.
This guide doesn’t cover every species of frogfish, but we will continue to keep adding more, as we are able to get more information and photos!
Glauert’s Frogfish
Allenichthys glauerti
Western and southern Australia
The Glauert’s Frogfish is only found in the Eastern Indian Ocean, off the coasts of Australia, from Beagle Islands, Western Australia to Kangaroo Islands, South Australia. Usually found in shallow reef areas and piers, but it has also been caught by fishing nets at over 150m deep.
This species can grow up to 19cm.
Twinspot Frogfish
Antennarius biocellatus
Nearly all of Southeast Asia
This guy is found around almost all of Southeast Asia, from Papua New Guinea to Myanmar to Vietnam, but he likes to live in brackish water where divers don’t like to go, so is relatively unknown to most.
This species can grow up to 12-14cm.
Giant/Commerson’s Frogfish
Antennarius commerson
Along the equator from E. Africa to Ecuador
Despite the name, the giant frogfish is not the biggest, but the second biggest out there. He is very common and can be found everywhere along the equator from the Red Sea, Eastern Africa, all the way to Ecuador and everything in between. I see him around Philippines all the time.
This species can grow up to 30cm.
Rosy Frogfish
Antennatus Rosaceus
Found all over Southeast Asia, and northern Australia, and some in Red Sea
Also known as the Spiny-tufted Frogfish. It is not very well known at all, and hard to distinguish from other species, except by experts. If you have photos or more information about the Rosy, let us know!
This species can grow up to 4cm.
Bougainville’s Frogfish
Histiophryne bougainvilli
Found only in the southern coast of Australia
Known only to a few ichthyologists, there is not a lot of information out there about this frogfish, or photos. So if you have more of either, let us know!
This species can grow up to 6cm.
Marble-Mouthed Frogfish
Lophiocharon Lithinostomus
Found only in Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia area
This guy is named because of the marbled coloration in the inside of its mouth, many times in purple like the photo above. It is a rare species to find, but it has been seen in a few locations in Philippines and Borneo.
This species can grow up to 9cm.
Painted Frogfish
Antennarius pictus
Quite common from Eastern Africa to the Pacific
This is a very common frogfish throughout the Pacific, Southeast Asia and Indian Ocean. It was one of the most common ones I find around Philippines, but it is easy to confuse it with the clown frogfish.
This species can grow up to 10-16cm.
Hairy Frogfish
Antennarius Striatus
Equatorial regions of Africa, Asia, Pacific and Caribbean
The hairy frogfish is one of my favorite ones to find, as they are so unique looking. They aren’t super rare, especially in Southeast Asia, but they are still one of the most coveted frogfish to find.
This species can grow up to 18-22cm
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Pygmy Frogfish
Antennatus Linearis
Between Eastern Africa to the mid-Pacific region
This species was just recently discovered and is known only to a few ichthyologists, however, it has been seen from Indonesia to Hawaii. It can be recognized by it’s lined colors. If you do find one, make sure to get a photo and send it to us!
This species can grow up to 7.5cm.
Tuberculated Frogfish
Antennatus Tuberosus
Between Eastern Africa to the mid-Pacific region
Also known as a pygmy frogfish, this guy is pretty small, and hard to find, although rewarding when you do. As you can see this species is colorful, and your best bet to find one might be around Hawaii.
This species can grow up to 7cm.
Psychedelic Frogfish
Histiophryne Psychedelica
Found only in Ambon, Indonesia so far. Rare
This must be the craziest looking frogfish there is, and many divers consider it the holy grale of them all. Found only around the small island of Ambon, in Easter Indonesia, and rarely even there, this is one frogfish you need to have on your bucketlist.
This species can grow up to 6-9cm.
Lembeh Frogfish
Nudiantennarius Subteres
Found from Indonesia all the way up to Japan
This guy is found mostly in Indonesia and Philippines, and is easily identified by their one big spot on their back/fin.
This species can grow up to 5-6cm
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Bare Island Frogfish
Porophryne Erythrodactylus
Found only around Bare Island in Botany Bay, New South Wales
Also called the Red-footed Frogfish and the Sydney Frogfish, this tiny guy has a very small range, only found around Botany Bay in Australia. Although they are prevelant enough in their small area, they are relatively rare in the world stage.
This species can grow up to 7.5cm.
Shaggy Frogfish
Antennarius Hispidus
Found around E. Africa and Equatorial Asia, most of Australia
This ugly/cute guy is also called a Hispid Frogfish, and it really lives up to it’s name, and looks like a shaggy mess! You can find this guy around SE Asia and the Indian Ocean, although it can be pretty hard to find as they are a bit rare.
This species can grow up to 15-20cm
Clown Frogfish
Antennarius Maculatus
Found around Southeast Asia and Indian Ocean
The clown frogfish, also called the warty frogfish, is common around Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines, and is a favorite for divers because of its bright colors. Dauin in Philippines is known to have a large amount of them, including the one pictured above.
This species can grow up to 8-10cm.
Longlure Frogfish
Antennarius Multiocellatus
Found from Florida to Brazil, the Caribbean and Atlantic
This guy comes in a lot of different colors, and slowly changes to match its surroundings, like most frogfish. This is one of the few frogs on the list that are in the Atlantic and Caribbean areas.
This species can grow up to 8-10cm.
Leopard Frogfish
Antennarius Pardalis
Found only around western Africa, mainly Senegal.
You will be really lucky to find this frogfish, as it can only be found in Western Africa, in places such as Senegal and Cape Verde. Since there are not a lot of dive sites in the areas, so these spotted beauties were mostly found in fishing nets.
This species can grow up to 8-10cm.
Dwarfed Frogfish
Antennarius Pauciradiatus
Found rarely in Atlantic
This little dude, and I mean tiny, is really rare and only known by few ichthyologists in the world. There is not a lot known about this one, and if you find one, send us photos!
This species can grow up to 1.5-5cm
Randall’s Frogfish
Antennarius Randalli
Found in Southeast Asia and Pacific, and even the Red Sea
The Randall’s is relatively common, but is one of the smallest species there is, even smaller than the dwarf. Although it is so hard to find because of it’s tiny size, it is most common in Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines. Like most frogfish, their color adapts to their surrounding when they are young. They do have white spots though, that make them easier to identify.
This species can grow up to 1.5-2cm
Side-Jet Frogfish
Antennatus Duescus
Found only in Hawaii
This fish is rare, tiny, and only found in Hawaii so far. It has a distinctive hole on its sides near its anal fin, where it can shoot out water to maneuver. More information is needed for this one, so let us know if you have any.
This species can grow up to 3cm
Freckled Frogfish
Antennatus Coccineus
Common in equatorial regions from E. Africa all the way to South American Pacific
Often confused with the spotfin frogfish, the freckled is common, but sometimes hard to find as it likes to hide in holes and crevasses. It is very common in the Indian Ocean, SouthEast Asia and much of the Pacific.
This species can grow up to 9-13cm
New Guinea Frogfish
Antennatus Dorehensis
From Eastern Africa to Pacific Ocean, with S.E Asia in between
Although it seems to have a large range, in the equatorial regions of Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, it is actually rare to find. It doesn’t help that it is a tiny species, with great camouflage.
This species can grow up to 2.5-5cm