Study shows sexual parasitism helped anglerfish invade the deep sea during a time of global warming

Members of the vertebrate group including anglerfish are unique in possessing a characteristic known as sexual parasitism, in which males temporarily attach or permanently fuse with females to mate. Now, researchers reporting in the journal Current Biology on May 23 show that sexual parasitism arose during a time of major global warming and rapid transition for anglerfish from the ocean floor to the deep, open sea.