Spiny Seadevil

Neoceratias spinifer

Fish
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth2–1,900 m
Water temperature13–29 °C
Best monthsNovember
How commonRare

Photo credit: (c) Apokryltaros, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist

About this species

Neoceratias spinifer, the toothed seadevil, pincushion seadevil, spiny seadevil or netbeard seadevil, is a rarely seen deep-sea anglerfish found in the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones in Oceans around the World. It is the only species in the family Neoceratiidae, and is unique amongst the deep-sea anglerfish in lacking both the illicium and esca, and in having large teeth placed on the outside of its jaws.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Toothed seadevil”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 0 records
February: 1 records
March: 0 records
April: 1 records
May: 0 records
June: 0 records
July: 0 records
August: 0 records
September: 0 records
October: 0 records
November: 2 records
December: 0 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 2–1,900 m · Deepest record: 1,900 m

0–10 m: 1 records
10–20 m: 1 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: 2 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 13–29 °C

12–14 °C: 1 records
14–16 °C: 1 records
16–18 °C: 0 records
18–20 °C: 0 records
20–22 °C: 0 records
22–24 °C: 1 records
24–26 °C: 1 records
26–28 °C: 2 records
28–30 °C: 1 records

Names and classification

English: Spiny Seadevil

Names in 2 more languages

Japanese: Kibaanko, キバアンコウ
Simplified Chinese: 大棘新角鮟鱇, 新角鮟鱇, 深海鮟鱇

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.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
20 open-data records from 1979 to 2024.
Species data updated November 4, 2026.

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