Family Batrachoididae: Nineteen genera, about 69 species.
Fresh, brackish and marine, things this family of fishes have
in common is their not-so-good looks, reclusive bottom-dwelling nature,
and territorial gruffness. Some species of this family are actually
drop-dead gorgeous, though unfortunately rarely seen in the aquarium
interest. The one that is (see below) often offered under various
merchandising monikers, is of a percentage of Toadfishes that are
venomous. The dorsal, anal, pectoral fin spines are hollow and have a
painful (though less serious than true Lionfishes, Stonefish) venom
associated with them. Be careful when in their tanks, netting them.
Range:
Coastal in Atlantic, Pacific, Indian Oceans, venturing into
freshwater.
Species of Interest/Use to
Aquarists:
| Batrachomoeus ( in places Halophryne)
trispinosus (Gunther 1861), the Freshwater
"Lionfish", "Freshwater Stonefish".
Three-Spined Frogfish. Actually, not a Lion, Stone, nor a Frog, but
a Toadfish. Indo-West Pacific; NW Australia, Thailand, Indonesia,
New Guinea. To one foot in length. Brackish to marine. Not really
freshwater. |
 
|
| Opsanus pardus (Goode & Bean 1880), the
Leopard Toadfish. Tropical West Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico. To
fifteen inches in length. |
|
| Opsanus tau (Linnaeus 1766), the Oyster
Toadfish. Western Atlantic. Massachusetts to Florida. To fifteen
inches in length. One in the Florida Aquarium and the other under a
pier in Belize. |
 
|
| Sanopus splendidus Collete, Starck &
Phillips 1974, the Coral or Splendid Toadfish. Tropical West
Atlantic; endemic to Cozumel. To 24 cm. Cozumel pic. |
|
Bigger PIX:
The images in this table are linked
to large (desktop size) copies. Click on "framed" images
to go to the larger size. |
|
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|
Behavior:
Noise production. Called Toadfishes on a few
counts. Their squatty profile, large mouths, capacious appetites, and
"croaking" noise they make!
Bibliography/Further Reading:
Quinn, John R. 1975. The Toadfish (or stout-hearted defender of
house and home). Marine Aquarist 6(2):75.
