Whalehead dreamer

Lophodolos acanthognathus

Fish
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth0–1,926 m
Water temperature2–29 °C
Best monthsJune and September
How commonRare

All species

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 0 records
February: 4 records
March: 6 records
April: 5 records
May: 10 records
June: 26 records
July: 15 records
August: 10 records
September: 23 records
October: 4 records
November: 3 records
December: 1 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 0–1,926 m · Deepest record: 4,500 m

0–10 m: 11 records
10–20 m: 0 records
20–30 m: 0 records
30–40 m: 0 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 0 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 0 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 0 records
110+ m: 87 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 2–29 °C

0–2 °C: 2 records
2–4 °C: 2 records
4–6 °C: 0 records
6–8 °C: 1 records
8–10 °C: 9 records
10–12 °C: 9 records
12–14 °C: 7 records
14–16 °C: 12 records
16–18 °C: 8 records
18–20 °C: 1 records
20–22 °C: 2 records
22–24 °C: 42 records
24–26 °C: 4 records
26–28 °C: 3 records
28–30 °C: 4 records

Names and classification

English: Whalehead dreamer, whalehead dreamer

Names in 1 more languages

French: Rêveur à front haut, Rêveur fer-de-lance, Rêveur Fer-de-lance

Other scientific names: Lophodolus acanthognathus, Lophodolus lyra

Similar species

Smooth dreamer
Chaenophryne draco
Can-opener smoothdream
Chaenophryne longiceps
Spikehead dreamer
Bertella idiomorpha
Lobed Dreamer
Dolopichthys pullatus
Short-rod anglerfish
Microlophichthys microlophus
Bulbous dreamer
Oneirodes eschrichtii

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
238 open-data records from 1927 to 2022.
Species data updated November 4, 2026.

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