Monk
Lophius piscatorius Linnaeus, 1758
The monk (Lophius piscatorius) is a bony fish in the family Lophiidae, order Lophiiformes. Other English names for it include Angler, Monkfish, Goosefish, Bellyfish and Frog-fish.
Quick facts about the monk
It was named by Linnaeus, 1758, and belongs to the genus Lophius in the suborder Lophioidei. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- coastalsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the monk
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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1 more photo exists under a licence we cannot display: view at source.
Where does the monk live?
Not recorded
What is the monk?
Lophius piscatorius, commonly known as the angler, toadfish, sea frog, fishing frog, frogfish, or sea devil, is a species of Lophius in the family Lophiidae. It occurs in coastal and shelf waters of the northeast Atlantic, ranging from the Barents Sea south to the Strait of Gibraltar, and is also present in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. In parts of its range, including the Irish Sea, it supports an important commercial fishery.
From the Wikipedia article “Lophius piscatorius” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lophius_piscatorius&oldid=1384658755), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the monk endangered?
The monk is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the monk classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderLophiiformes
- familyLophiidae
- genusLophius
- SpeciesLophius piscatorius Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms Batrachus eurypterus, Batrachus piscator, Batrachus piscatorius, Lophius aculeatus, Lophius digitatus, Lophius europaeus, Lophius eurypterus, Lophius fergusonis, Lophius gadicensis
Other names and names in other languages (89)
- AnglerEnglish
- AnglerEnglish
- AnglerEnglish
- Angler fishEnglish
- Angler-fishEnglish
- AnglerfishEnglish
- AnglerfishEnglish
- Anglerfish or monkfishEnglish
- BellyfishEnglish
- Common monkfishEnglish
- European anglerEnglish
- Frog-fishEnglish
- GoosefishEnglish
- MonkfishEnglish
- MonkfishEnglish
- Sea anglerfishEnglish
- Sea monkfishEnglish
- pixínAsturian
- maracheBreton
- marimorganBreton
- mordosecBreton
- RapCatalan
- granota de marCatalan
- rap blancCatalan
- rospuCorsican
- das mořskýCzech
- ďas mořskýCzech
- cythraul y môrWelsh
- Cythreuliaid y MôrWelsh
- bredflabDanish
- Almindelig havtaskeDanish
- havtaskeDanish
- SeeteufelGerman
- AnglerfischGerman
- ΒατραχόψαροGreek
- ΠεσκαντρίτσαGreek
- rapeSpanish
- pejesapoSpanish
- Rape BlancoSpanish
- Rape ComúnSpanish
- XulianaSpanish
- zapo zuriBasque
- merikrottiFinnish
- lotteFrench
- baudroieFrench
- baudroie communeFrench
- diableFrench
- seillotFrench
- seyotFrench
- frogfishIrish
- láimhíneachIrish
- molly gowanScottish Gaelic
- חכאי שדיHebrew
- GrdobinaCroatian
- európai horgászhalHungarian
- skötuselurIcelandic
- coda di rospoItalian
- rana pescatriceItalian
- Rana pescatrice europeaItalian
- ニシアンコウJapanese
- breiflabbNorwegian Bokmål
- breikjeftNorwegian Bokmål
- sjødævelNorwegian Bokmål
- storkjeftkongeNorwegian Bokmål
- zeeduivelDutch
- breiflabbNorwegian Nynorsk
- ulkeNorwegian Nynorsk
- breiflabbNorwegian
- zabnicaPolish
- ŻabnicaPolish
- ra do marPortuguese
- peixe sapoPortuguese
- peixe-pescadorPortuguese
- TamborilPortuguese
- Tamboril-comumPortuguese
- Морской чертRussian
- Европейский удильщикRussian
- duoršiNorthern Sami
- morska žabaSlovenian
- morska spakaSlovenian
- marulkSwedish
- havspaddaSwedish
- fener baligiTurkish
- Fener BalığıTurkish
- Морський чортUkrainian
- Вудильник звичайнийUkrainian
- Вудильник морськийUkrainian
- Морський чорт європейскийUkrainian
- Морський чорт європейськийUkrainian
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the monk
Other species in the same genus Lophius.
White angler fish
Lophius budegassa
Monkfish
Lophius americanus
Anglerfish
Lophius gastrophysus
Monk
Lophius vomerinus
Yellow goosefish
Lophius litulon
Shortspine African angler
Lophius vaillanti
CompareMonk vs White angler fishMonk vs MonkfishMonk vs AnglerfishMonk vs Monk
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the monk?
The monk is a bony fish. It belongs to the family Lophiidae in the order Lophiiformes.
What is the scientific name of the monk?
The scientific name of the monk is Lophius piscatorius. It is placed in the genus Lophius.
Who named Lophius piscatorius?
Lophius piscatorius was named by Linnaeus, 1758.
Is the monk endangered?
No. The IUCN Red List assesses the monk globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.
What other names does the monk have?
The monk is also called Angler, Monkfish, Goosefish, Bellyfish and Frog-fish.
What class does the monk belong to?
The monk belongs to the class Teleostei, in the phylum Chordata.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Monk (Lophius piscatorius). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/lophius-piscatorius
“Monk (Lophius piscatorius).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/lophius-piscatorius.
@misc{lophius_piscatorius_2026,
title = {Monk (Lophius piscatorius)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/lophius-piscatorius},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}