''Batrichthys apiatus'', the snakehead toadfish, is a species of fish from the coast of South Africa.

Description

This fish grows up to long and has a somewhat depressed shape. The large, broad head has a few irregularly shaped dark marks and the body and dorsal fin have broad darked-edged brown bars. The large pectoral fins have a few dusky bars. There is a dark line across the eyes, extending onto the gill covers. Small, fleshy tentacles surround the mouth, but these are not always easily visible due to the size of the fish.

Distribution and habitat

This species is endemic to the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

off the coast of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. It is found between

Saldanha Bay Saldanha Bay () is a natural harbour on the south-western coast of South Africa. The town that developed on the northern shore of the bay, also called Saldanha, Western Cape, Saldanha, was incorporated with five other towns into the Saldanha Bay ...

and the

Transkei Transkei ( , meaning ''the area beyond Great Kei River,

he river The He River is a tributary of the Xi River in Guangxi and Guangdong provinces in China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it ...

Kei''), officially the Republic of Transkei (), was an list of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa f ...

. It usually occurs at depths of less than and is common in rock pools. It commonly hides under rocks and small boulders.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3506799 Fish of South Africa Fish described in 1837 Batrachoididae Taxa named by Achille Valenciennes