Evolution of Deep-Sea Anglerfish Illuminated in New Study

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A multi-institutional team of biologists has produced new insights into the evolution of anglerfish—deep-sea dwellers known for their extraordinary adaptations, including toothy jaws and bioluminescent lures.

In a new study, the team explored the evolutionary journey of anglerfishes (Lophiiformes), highlighting that deep-sea pelagic anglerfishes evolved from a benthic ancestor and quickly underwent rapid diversification. By combining advanced genetic analysis with 3D imaging of museum specimens, the researchers reconstructed their evolutionary tree, revealing key adaptations that enabled these animals to thrive in one of the most extreme environments on Earth.

Researchers at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, including Dahiana Arcila and Ricardo Betancur-R, led this study alongside former UC San Diego undergraduate student Elizabeth Miller (now a postdoctoral researcher at UC Irvine) and Rose Faucher from Rice University. By analyzing genome-wide data from 1,092 genes and high-resolution 3D CT scans of 132 species, the team identified key adaptations—such as rapid diversification, larger jaws, smaller eyes and more diverse body shapes—that facilitated the transition of anglerfishes from benthic to pelagic habitats.

This research was made possible, in part, by the availability of deep-sea specimens from the Marine Vertebrate Collection at Scripps, one of the world’s largest repositories for deep-sea fish biodiversity.

The study was published Nov. 27, 2024, in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. This research was supported by FishLife (National Science Foundation DEB-1541554 and NSF DEB-2144325); NSF Postdoctoral Fellowships (DBI-1906574 and DBI-2109469); NSF DEB CAREER-2144325 and NSF DEB-2015404.