The triplewart seadevil (Cryptopsaras couesii) is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ceratiidae, the warty sea devils, and the order Lophiiformes.
[4] The triplewart seadevil was first formally described in 1883 by the American biologist Theodore Gill with its type locality given as off New York in the western North Atlantic at 39°18'30"N, 68°24'00"W, Albatross station 2101, from a depth of 1,686 fathoms (10,116 ft; 3,083 m).
[6] Cryptopsaras is one of two genera which the 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies as belonging to the family Ceratiidae in the suborder Ceratioidei of the anglerfish order Lophiiformes.
[4] Female triplewart seadevils have a laterally compressed, elongated body with a large head and a mouth that is nearly vertical when closed.
This apparatus is primarily composed of a terminating esca or lure supported by an extremely long pterygiophore bone encased in a dermal sheath.
[9] Winding muscles control the anterior and posterior movement of the bone, suggesting extension and retraction by rotation.
After attachment, the male becomes dependent on the female for blood-circulated nutrients due to the fusion of the circulatory and digestive systems.