A Field Guide to the Reef Floor
AntennariidaePlate 07Frogfishes
Sike, a pink-and-tan swirl-patterned frogfish, staring forward mid-bounce above a dark sandy floor
Fig. 1. Adult, mid-bounce, both eyes on the observer. Shown larger than life. Life is about a fist.

No. 07 · $PSYCHEDELICA

Histiophryne psychedelica

Psychedelic frogfish. Field name: Sike.

Born tie-dyed. Swims like it's already tripping.

First recorded
Ambon, Indonesia, 2008
Size
About a fist
Skin
Thick, jelly-soft folds. No scales.
Pattern
Pink-and-tan swirl, fixed from birth
Eyes
Both facing forward
Locomotion
Bounce, jet, land, repeat
Steering
Not observed

The swirl is not paint. It is the skin. It does not wash off, fade or rearrange itself, no matter which tank you put it in. $PSYCHEDELICA holds the same way.

07a

Key to the specimen in front of you

Work down the couplets. Pick the statement that fits what you are looking at.

    07b

    Method of travel

    Most fish swim. This one pushes off the floor with its fins, shoots water out of its gill openings, and lands wherever that happens to be. Divers describe it as bouncing.

    A dotted arc showing the frogfish pushing off, jetting, and landing off course
    1. i. Push. Pectoral fins press into the sand, the way a frog's legs would if a frog were a fist.
    2. ii. Jet. Water goes out the gill openings. The body goes the other way.
    3. iii. Touchdown. Tail swings off to one side. Course corrected: no.
    Fig. 2. Three consecutive hops, traced. Each landing differs from the intended one, if there was one.

    07c

    Not to be confused with

    Drab. Same family, same reef, same stare. Different skin. He has noticed.

    Sike, the swirl-patterned frogfish, staring forward with both eyes
    A. Sike. H. psychedelica.
    TraitA. SikeB. Drab
    ColourPink, tan, swirlBrown
    PatternFingerprint, for lifeLooks like a rock
    CamouflageNone attemptedExcellent
    EyesForward. Staring.Sideways. At Sike.
    Gets photographedConstantlyMistaken for sponge
    Drab, a plain brown frogfish, side-eyeing
    B. Drab. Cousin. Brown on purpose.

    07d

    Field notes

    Copied from a dive slate. Handwriting tidied.

    1. Note 1

      Rubble slope, shallow harbour. Found one in a crevice. It looked at me with both eyes at once. Most fish can't do that. I wrote it down.

    2. Note 2

      Tried to follow it. It left in three hops, none in the same direction. Gave up. It did not look back. It did not need to; the eyes face forward.

    3. Note 3

      Same fish as yesterday. Same swirl, line for line. Checked against the photo. The pattern is how you tell them apart, like a fingerprint. 🌀

    4. Note 4

      A brown one nearby. Thought it was a rock until it turned to watch the pink one. Possibly jealous. Cannot confirm. Wrote "possibly jealous" anyway.

    5. Note 5

      Frogfish have no scales, just skin. Water leaves through small openings behind the fins. In this one that doubles as the engine. Its whole strategy appears to be existing loudly.

    • Born tie-dyed. Never corrected.
    • Forward-facing eyes, no peripheral vision, no regrets.
    • The gyroscope was never going to work.
    • Bounces because swimming was never an option.
    • Permanent stare, permanent swirl, zero steering.