This one is from Tulamben, Bali.

I am having quite a hard time identifying some frogfish, I’m not sure if they are juveniles from any species or simply a little frogfish, lol.

For reference I’m looking a quite good webpage only for frogfishes but I’m struggling knowing which specie could it be. I’m struggling basically with almost any frogfish image that I have.

 

Frog Fish Web

Any tip?

If that is its lure, it looks very odd, the lure is one key ID feature to compare. You could try posting on inaturalist and also have a look at fishbase and browse through the images there.

https://fishbase.se/identification/SpeciesList.php?class=&order=&famcode=192&genus=&areacode=&c_code=360&depth=&spines=&fins=&TL=&BD=&resultPage=1&sortby=species

or try posting in this Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/frogfishlovers

Really looks like a juvenile painted frogfish (Antennarius pictus) to me.
They usually have specific markings at the rear (but juveniles vary a lot) - would you have another shot showing the rest of the body?

Edited November 25, 2025Nov 25 by bghazzal

2 hours ago, bghazzal said:

Really looks like a juvenile painted frogfish (Antennarius pictus) to me.
They usually have specific markings at the rear (but juveniles vary a lot) - would you have another shot showing the rest of the body?

Agree, also it looks like the lure is resting on the other side of the fish, if you could see that it would help confirm

3 hours ago, bghazzal said:

Really looks like a juvenile painted frogfish (Antennarius pictus) to me.
They usually have specific markings at the rear (but juveniles vary a lot) - would you have another shot showing the rest of the body?

Thank you.

I don’t have any shoot that shows full body, maybe this one could help? But is quite similar as the other one.

This one for the lure could help?

The painted anglerfish lure is on the end of a thin transparent rod:

I've highlighted it aboveand the lure is fluffy. If you can find this on your fish it will confirm it is A. pictus. The thing poing forward is I'm thinking the second fin, but it is covered with growth?? I'm thinking maybe I can see the rod and lure on your final shot?? shown here, lure at double head arrow:

Do you dismiss a Lembeh frogfish Nudiantennarius subteres hypothesis with such a long and fluffy rod? When juveniles the round marking on the side doesn't seem that visible or showing up.

Check out example in Frogfish.ch website

7 hours ago, Luko said:

Do you dismiss a Lembeh frogfish Nudiantennarius subteres hypothesis with such a long and fluffy rod? When juveniles the round marking on the side doesn't seem that visible or showing up.

Check out example in Frogfish.ch website

I think you are onto something. from fishbase:

"second dorsal-fin spine is unusually long, narrow, without posterior membrane; narrow pectoral-fin lobe, somewhat detached from side of body" The pectoral fin in the photo looks quite narrow and skinny and the dorsal fin spine (which is separate to the lure) has no membrane. The second photo shows start of ocellus spot also. This is the diagram from frogfish website:

@canislupus Still, nicely captured!

Thank you all for the help.

I checked again and maybe this image could help, the lure is fluffy with a thin transparent rod, like Chris Ross pointed out.

At first, I thought all the white thing was the rod and lure...

7 minutes ago, canislupus said:

Thank you all for the help.

I checked again and maybe this image could help, the lure is fluffy with a thin transparent rod, like Chris Ross pointed out.

At first, I thought all the white thing was the rod and lure...

No that's the other ID feature- the second fin spine has no membrane so can be moved like a lure, that short rod and fluffy lure certainly point to a Lembeh frogfish . Seems like they aren't that common.