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. The hierarchy of scientific classification In biological classification, family (Latin: familia, plural familiae) is a rank, or a taxon in that rank. ... Orders See text The Actinopterygii are the ray-finned fish. ... In scientific classification used in biology, the order (Latin: ordo, plural ordines) is a rank between class and family (termed a taxon at that rank). ... Families At least 9, see article. ... The hierarchy of scientific classification. ... For other uses, see Genus (disambiguation). ... Various species of reef fish in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. ... Brackish water is water that is saltier than fresh water, but not as salty as sea water. ... ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... In marine geology and biology, benthos are the organisms and habitats of the sea floor; in freshwater biology they are the organisms and habitats of the bottoms of lakes, rivers, and creeks. ... Ambush predators are carnivorous animals who capture prey by stealth or cunning, not by speed or necessarily by strength. ... Crypsis is a phenomena where an organisms appearance allows it to blend well into its environment. ... Prey can refer to: Look up Prey in Wiktionary, the free dictionary A prey animal eaten by a predator in an act called predation. ...

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. The gas bladder (also fish maw, less accurately swim bladder or air bladder) is an internal organ that contributes to the ability of a fish to control its buoyancy, and thus to stay at the current water depth, ascend, or descend without having to waste energy in swimming. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Morphology

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. Three 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. The maxillae are the largest bones of the face, except for the mandible, and form, by their union, the whole of the upper jaw. ... The premaxilla is a pair of small bones at the very tip of the jaws of many animals, usually bearing teeth, but not always. ... Fish anatomy is primarily governed by the physical characteristics of water, which is much denser than air, holds a relatively small amount of dissolved oxygen, and absorbs light more than does air. ... Fish anatomy is primarily governed by the physical characteristics of water, which is much denser than air, holds a relatively small amount of dissolved oxygen, and absorbs light more than does air. ... For other uses, see Gill (disambiguation). ...

Toadfishes of the genus Porichthys, the midshipman fishes, have photophores and four lateral lines, while the Thalassophryninae are venomous, with a total of four hollow spines (two dorsal and one on each gill-flap (opercle)) connecting to venom glands and capable of delivering a painful wound. Species Porichthys analis Porichthys bathoiketes Porichthys ephippiatus Porichthys greenei Porichthys kymosemeum Porichthys margaritatus Porichthys mimeticus Porichthys myriaster Porichthys notatus Porichthys oculellus Porichthys oculofrenum Porichthys pauciradiatus Porichthys plectrodon Porichthys porosissimus Porichthys queenslandiae The Midshipman fishes are the genus Porichthys of toadfishes. ... A photophore is a light-emitting organ which appears as luminous spots on various marine fishes. ... In fish, the lateral line is a sense organ used to detect movement in the surrounding water. ... It has been suggested that Snake poison be merged into this article or section. ...

Distribution

Toadfishes are found worldwide. Almost all are marine, but Daector quadrizonatus and Thalassophryne amazonica are known from Colombia (Atrato River) and the Amazon River, respectively. The Río Atrato is a river of northwestern Colombia. ... This article is about the river. ...

Habits

Toadfishes are bottom-dwellers, ranging from near shore areas to deep waters. They tend to be omnivorous, eating sea worms, crustaceans, mollusks and other fish. They often hide in rock crevices, among the bottom vegetation, or even dig dens in the bottom sediments, from which they ambush their prey. Sea worm is a general term that may refer to a number of phyla of animals, or may refer specifically to: Acanthocephala, parasitic worm Annelida, Chaetognatha, Cycliophora, lobster worms Entoprocta, Echiura, Gastrotricha, microscopic Gnathostomulida, microscopic Hemichordata, Kinorhyncha, Loricifera, Micrognathozoa, microscopic Nematoda, round worms Nematomorpha, parasitic worms Nemertea, Onychophora, although mostly... Classes & Subclasses Branchiopoda Phyllopoda Sarsostraca Remipedia Cephalocarida Maxillopoda Thecostraca Tantulocarida Branchiura Pentastomida Mystacocarida Copepoda Ostracoda Myodocopa Podocopa Malacostraca Phyllocarida Hoplocarida Eumalacostraca The nauplius larva of a dendrobranchiate Porcellio scaber, the common rough woodlouse, a terrestrial crustacean Pollicipes polymerus, the gooseneck barnacle Glyphea pseudastacus, a fossil glypheoid The crustaceans (Crustacea) are... Classes Caudofoveata Aplacophora Polyplacophora Monoplacophora Bivalvia Scaphopoda Gastropoda Cephalopoda † Rostroconchia † Helcionelloida † ?Bellerophontidae The molluscs (British spelling) or mollusks (American spelling) are members of the large and diverse phylum Mollusca, which includes a variety of familiar animals well-known for their decorative shells or as seafood. ...

Males make the nests and guard them after the female lays the eggs. The male attracts the female by "singing", that is by releasing air by contracting muscles on their swim bladder. The sound has been called a 'hum' or 'whistle'.

Economics

Toadfish are not normally commercially exploited, however, they are taken by local fishermen as a food fish, and by trawlers where they usually end up as a source of fishmeal and oil. Some smaller toadfish from brackish-water habitats have been exported as fresh-water aquarium fishes.

References

• Nelson, Joseph S. (2006) "Order Batrachoidiformes" Fishes of the World (4th ed.) John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ, ISBN 978-0-471-25031-9 pp. 248-249;
• Collette, B. B. "Order Batrachoidiformes, Batrachoididae, Toadfishes." In Carpenter, Kent E. (ed.) (2002) The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic Vol. 2, Bony fishes. Pt. 1 Acipenseridae to Grammatidae Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome (Special publication of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists no. 5) ISBN 9251048266 ;
• Collette, B.B. and J. L. Russo (1981) "A Revision of the Scaly Toadfishes, Genus Batrachoides, with Descriptions of Two New Species from the Eastern Pacific" Bulletin of Marine Science 31(2): pp. 197–233;
• Hutchins, J.B. (1976) "A revision of the Australian frogfishes (Batrachoididae)" Records of the Western Australian Museum 4(1): pp. 3-43;
• CBC Radio Quirks and Quarks show podcast segment on unique toad fish habits with links to primary sources.

Fishes of the World by Joseph S. Nelson is a standard reference for fish systematics. ... Quirks and Quarks is the weekly national science and technology program on CBC Radio One. ...

See also

• List of fish common names
• List of fish families

This is a list of fish common names. ... This is a list of fish families sorted alphabetically by scientific name. ...

External link

• FishBase entry on Batrachoididae