predators. They are primarily mesopelagic, living in open water, with very few caught below . Females are carnivorous and feed upon other pelagic fish (such as lanternfishes and ridgeheads) and cephalopods, as well as shrimp and euphausiids that are presumably attracted to within striking distance by the footballfish's luminous lure. Himantolophidae are one of the families of angler fish that do NOT use sexual parasitism. Footballfish are presumed to be non-guarders that spawn pelagically. Their larvae are epipelagic (occurring in the well-lit 200 m of the water column), indicating they probably undergo an ontogenetic descent into deeper waters as the larvae mature. Predators of footballfish include sperm whales and other footballfish. Species There are currently 22 recognized species in this genus: Himantolophus albinares Maul, 1961 Himantolophus appelii F. E. Clarke, 1878 (Prickly anglerfish) Himantolophus azurlucens Beebe & Crane, 1947 Himantolophus borealis Kharin, 1984 Himantolophus brevirostris Regan, 1925 Himantolophus compressus Osório, 1912 Himantolophus cornifer Bertelsen & G. Krefft, 1988 Himantolophus crinitus Bertelsen & G. Krefft, 1988 Himantolophus danae Regan & Trewavas, 1932 Himantolophus groenlandicus Johan Reinhardt Robert Football, 1837 (Atlantic footballfish) Himantolophus litoceras A. L. Stewart & Pietsch, 2010 Himantolophus macroceras Bertelsen & G. Krefft, 1988 Himantolophus macroceratoides Bertelsen & G. Krefft, 1988 Himantolophus mauli Bertelsen & G. Krefft, 1988 Himantolophus melanolophus Bertelsen & G. Krefft, 1988 Himantolophus multifurcatus Bertelsen & G. Krefft, 1988 Himantolophus nigricornis Bertelsen & G. Krefft, 1988 Himantolophus paucifilosus Bertelsen & G. Krefft, 1988 Himantolophus pseudalbinares Bertelsen & G. Krefft, 1988 Himantolophus rostratus Regan, 1925 Himantolophus sagamius S. Tanaka (I), 1918 (Pacific footballfish) Himantolophus stewarti Pietsch & Kenaley, 2011 Further reading Gallery References Anderson, M. Eric and Leslie, Robin W. (2001). "Review of the deep-sea anglerfishes (Lophiiformes: Ceratioidei) of southern Africa". Ichthyological Bulletin. J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology, Rhodes University. . Retrieved October 31, 2005. Munk, Ole. (1999). "The escal photophore of ceratioids (Pisces; Ceratioidei) — a review of structure and function". Acta Zoologica, Vol 80., Issue 4, pp. 265–284. Retrieved October 31, 2005. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1443462 Himantolophidae Deep sea fish Marine fish genera Ray-finned fish genera