Sladenia (fish)

Sladenia goosefishes are characterised from the other Lophiid genera by have a rounded head and body rather than a dorsoventrally compressed head and body. They have fewer spines on the head and compressed, rather than depressed, caudal peduncles. They have a smooth ridge running from the eye to the top of the snout. There are large teeth in the middle of the roof of the mouth, with smaller teeth at the sides. There are only 2 dorsal spines on the head, compared to 3 in the other genera, and 1 or 2 dorsal spines behind the head, the fourth spine sometimes being absent.^[9] The largest species in the genus is S. zhiu with a maximum published total length of 65 cm (26 in), while the smallest is S. shaeferis with a maximum published standard length of 28 cm (11 in).^[6]

Sladenia goosefishes are found in the western Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. The type species, S. gardineri, is found in the Chagos Archipelago in the central Indian Ocean^[10] and has been recorded off New South Wales.^[11] S. remiger has a wide range from Sulawesi to Hawaii as far south as New Zealand and Tasmania.^[12] S. shaefersi is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean,^[9] and S. zhui is found in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.^[13]