What does “diablo negro” mean in Spanish?
Extraño pez abisal aparece en la costa de Tenerife
B2 Spanish listening practice · Spanish from Spain · Curated for upper-intermediate learners
El diablo negro — literally “the black devil” — is the Spanish name for a small, needle-toothed deep-sea anglerfish that normally lives 200 to 2,000 meters down, luring prey with a glowing lure on its head. In January 2026 marine biologists found one alive near the surface off Tenerife — a global first, since the species is almost never seen outside its lightless deep-sea habitat.
Its name is descriptive rather than fanciful: diablo (devil) for its fanged, monstrous look, negro (black) for its skin, which absorbs almost all light in the deep sea. The same fish — Melanocetus johnsonii — inspired the anglerfish that corners Marlin and Dory in Buscando a Nemo, so its glowing lure and grin will look familiar even if you’ve never heard the name before.
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Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-ESP 2011 (spoken). Buckets approximate; exact ranks not stored.