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( Toadfish)
Subfamily Batrachoidinae
Amphichthys
Austrobatrachus
Barchatus
Batrichthys
Batrachoides
Batrachomoeus
Chatrabus
Halobatrachus
Halophryne
Opsanus
Perulibatrachus
Riekertia
Sanopus
Tharbacus
Triathalassothia
Subfamily Porichthyinae
Aphos
Porichthys
Subfamily Thalassophryninae
Daector
Thalassophryne The toadfish are family Batrachoididae is the only family in the of ray-finned fish order Batrachoidiformes. They are so-named because of their rather drab coloration reminiscent of that of terrestrial toads (batrachus is Greek for frog). There are 69 species in 19 genera, most of which are marine in distribution though some are found in brackish water and one subfamily, the Thalassophryninae, is found exclusively in freshwater habitats in South America. Toadfish are benthic ambush predators that favor sandy or muddy substrates where their cryptic coloration helps them avoid detection by their prey. The dorsal fin and gill cover spines on the toadfishes of the subfamily Thalassophryninae are hollow and will inject venom into any predator attempting to eat the fish. Its dorsal fins and opercular spines are so poisonous, that eating them may result in serious illness or death. Toadfish are well known for their ability to "sing", males in particular using the swim bladder as a sound-production device used to attract mates. The Western Atlantic species Opsanus tau known as the oyster toadfish is quite widely used as a research animal, while a few species, most notably Thalassophryne amazonica, are occasionally kept as aquarium fish. Toadfishes are usually scaleless, with eyes set high on large heads. Their mouths are also large, with both maxilla and premaxilla. The gills are small and occur only on the sides of the fish. The pelvic fins are forward of the pectoral fins, usually under the gills, and have one spine with several soft rays. There are two separate dorsal fins, the first smaller dorsal fin with spines; and the second larger and longer dorsal, with from 15 to 25 soft rays. The number of vertebra range from 25 to 47.
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Toadfish Subcategories
Toadfish Articles
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