see text Antennarioidei is a suborder of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes.

[3] The relationships of the suborders within Lophiiformes as set out in Pietsch and Grobecker's 1987 Frogfishes of the world: systematics, zoogeography, and behavioral ecology is shown below.

Antennarius suffixes -ius to antenna, an allusion to first dorsal spine being adapted into a tentacle on the snout used as a lure to attract prey.

[4] Antennarioidei contains the following families and these are related as set out in the cladogram below:[2][5][3] Brachionichthyidae Gill, 1863 (Handfishes or warty anglerfishes) Lophichthyidae Boeseman, 1964 (Lophichthyid frogfishes) Tetrabrachiidae Regan, 1912 (Tetrabrachid frogfishes) Antennariidae Jarocki 1822 (Frogfishes) Antennarioidei fishes are characterised by the first dorsal fin being made up of three separate spines on the head, the first being the illicium with the second sometimes being short, although this spine is not everr embedded within the skin.

[2] Antennarioidei fishes are found in the tropical and subtropical oceans of the world, although this applies only to the Antennaridae, the other three families being confined to the seas around Indonesia, New Guinea and Australia.