Toadfish is the common name for a variety of species from several different families of

fish Fish are Aquatic animal, aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack Limb (anatomy), limbs with Digit (anatomy), digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and Chondrichthyes, cartilaginous and bony fish as we ...

, usually because of their toad-like appearance. "Dogfish" is a name for certain species along the gulf coast.

Dolphin-Toadfish relationship

Toadfish make up a notable portion of the dolphin's diet, approximately 13%. Scientific experiments have shown that the mating call of the toadfish alerts dolphin predators to the fish's location. Similarly, the sounds caused by the dolphin when hunting its prey alert toadfish to the location of the predators and cause the fish to silence their mating call. Male toadfish will reduce their mating calls by up to 50% when they hear the low sound of a dolphin's "pop".

Batrachoididae

The entire family '' Batrachoididae'' are called toadfishes. They are

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning " ...

ambush predator Ambush predators or sit-and-wait predators are carnivorous animals that capture or trap prey via stealth, luring or by (typically instinctive) strategies utilizing an element of surprise. Unlike pursuit predators, who chase to capture prey ...

s, known for their ability to produce sound with their

swim bladder The swim bladder, gas bladder, fish maw, or air bladder is an internal gas-filled organ that contributes to the ability of many bony fish (but not cartilaginous fish) to control their buoyancy, and thus to stay at their current water depth wit ...

Tetraodontidae

The name "toadfish" is applied to some species of the family

Tetraodontidae Tetraodontidae is a family of primarily marine and estuarine fish of the order Tetraodontiformes. The family includes many familiar species variously called pufferfish, puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, blowies, bubblefish, globefish, swellfis ...

, including: * The banded toadfish, '' Torquigener pleurogramma'' (Australia) * The blackspotted toadfish, ''Arothron nigropunctatus'' (tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans) * The common toadfish (or toadfish), ''Tetractenos hamiltoni'' (Australia and New Zealand)Australian Faunal Directory: Tetractenos hamiltoni.
/ref> * The prickly toadfish, ''Contusus richei'' (Australia and New Zealand) * The red striped toadfish, ''Tetraodon erythrotaenia'' (Indonesia and Papua New Guinea) * The silver-cheeked toadfish, ''Lagocephalus sceleratus'' (tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans, invasive in the Mediterranean Sea) * The smooth toadfish, ''Tetractenos glaber'' (Australia)Australian Faunal Directory: Tetractenos glaber.
/ref> Neophrynichthys latus (Dark toadfish)

Psychrolutidae

The name "toadfish" is also applied to some species of the family

Psychrolutidae The fish family Psychrolutidae (commonly known as blobfishes, toadfishes, flathead sculpins, tadpole sculpins,) contains over 35 recognized species in 8 genera. This family consists of bottom-dwelling marine sculpins shaped like tadpoles, with la ...

: * The dark toadfish, ''Neophrynichthys latus'' (New Zealand) * The frilled toadfish, ''Ambophthalmos magnicirrus'' (Macquarie Island) * The pale toadfish, ''Ambophthalmos angustus'' (New Zealand)

References

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External links

Fishbase list of species commonly called "toadfish"
Fish common names