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Escal appendage pattern B; esca with an anterior group of short unpigmented filaments arising from a common base in 12.5-mm specimen, larger specimens with a stout internally pigmented anterior escal appendage, slightly more than half length of escal bulb, and bearing numerous unpigmented filaments on distal end, some of which are as long as anterior appendage; medial escal appendages absent; a truncated or rounded terminal escal papilla with a distal streak of pigment in 22-mm specimens; an unpigmented, tapering posterior escal appendage nearly twice as long as escal bulb in 12.5-mm specimen, three to four times length of bulb in two 22-mm specimens; lateral and anterolateral escal appendages absent.
Subopercle without indentation on posterodorsal margin; length of ventral fork of opercle 28.2–28.6% SL; ratio of lengths of dorsal and ventral forks of opercle 0.48–0.56.
Epibranchial teeth absent; teeth present on pharyngobranchial II; total number of teeth in upper jaw 17–42, in lower jaw 25–48; number of teeth on vomer 4–7; dorsal-fin rays 5 or 6; anal-fin rays 4; pectoral-fin rays 14 or 15.
Measurements in percent of standard length: head length 40.9–46.4; head depth 37.0–46.4; premaxilla length 32.3–37.0; lower jaw length 45.8–50.0; illicium length 19.3–25.0.
A species of Oneirodes distinguished from all other members of the genus in escal morphology: anterior escal appendage bearing a distal cluster of filaments; medial escal appendages absent; posterior appendage simple, unusually long and slender; lateral and anterolateral escal appendages absent.
Oneirodes flagellifer is known from nine specimens all collected in the Indo-Pacific: the holotype from approximately 1750 m in the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka, the lectotype of O. thysanophorus from 1750 m in the Sulu Sea, a third specimen collected in 1951 by the GALATHEA from 3800 m in the South China Sea, and six specimens collected by the ALPHA HELIX in the Sulu Sea.
Probably meso- to bathypelagic.
Pietsch TW. 2009. Oceanic Anglerfishes: Extraordinary Diversity in the Deep Sea. Berkley: University of California Press. 638 p.
Although unknown, males of O. flagellifer are certainly free living and non-parasitic, as is the case with most oneirodid taxa.
Known from only nine metamorphosed females (10.5–22 mm).
DANA station 3909(3), Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka, 5°21'N, 80°38'E, 3500 m wire, 1900 hr, 22 November 1929.
Holotype of Oneirodes flagellifer: ZMUC P9280, 22 mm.
