The three-starred anglerfish drawn by Else Bostelmann for Beebe.
The three-starred anglerfish (Bathyceratias trilynchus) was a deep sea cryptid fish seen once off Bermuda in the North Atlantic Ocean by William Beebe in 1932.[1][2]
Description
Sighted at 2470 feet, it was a 6-inch black anglerfish with three illica on the head, each tipped with a a pale yellow bioluminescent organ.[1][2]
Sightings
1932
Beebe observed this fish during a 1932 dive off Bermuda, at a depth of 2470 feet, shortly before encountering the pallid sailfin:[2]
- "One minute later, at 2470 feet, all my temporarily relaxed attention was aroused and focused on another splendid piece of luck. A tie rope had to be cut and in this brief interval of suspension, extended by my hurried order, a new anglerfish came out of all the ocean and hesitated long enough close to my window for me to make out its dominant characters. I am calling it the Three-starred Anglerfish, Bathyceratias trilynchnus. It was close in many respects to the well-known genera Ceratias and Cryptosparas, but the flattened angle of the mouth and the short, even teeth were quite different. It was six inches long, typically oval in outline, black, and with small eye. The fin rays were usual except that it had three tall tentacles or illicia, each tipped with a strong, pale yellow light organ. The light was clearly reflected on the upper side of the fish. In front of the dorsal fin were two pear-shaped organs exactly like those of the common Cryptosparas. The paired fins escaped me. No pioneer, peering at a Martian landscape, could ever have a greater thrill than did I at such an opportunity."