see text The whipnose anglers are a family, the Gigantactinidae, of marine ray-finned fishes which is classified within the suborder Ceratioidei, the deep sea anglerfishes.

[2] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies this family within the suborder Certioidei within the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes.

[2] The largest species in the family is G. vanhoeffeni with a maximum published total length of 62 cm (24 in).

[6] Metamorphosed whipnose angler males have very small eyes and a large olfactory apparatus with the forward nostrils positioned close together opening to the front.

[2] Whipnose anglers are found in the tropical and temperate parts of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans in the bathypelagic and mesopelagic zones from depths between 0 and 5,300 m (0 and 17,388 ft).