The Lusitanian toadfish (''Halobatrachus didactylus'') is a species of

toadfish Toadfish is the common name for a variety of species from several different families of fish, usually because of their toad-like appearance. "Dogfish" is a name for certain species along the gulf coast. Dolphin-Toadfish relationship Toadfish mak ...

found along the

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and

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Coasts of western

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and western

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, from the

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to Ghana, with an isolated and old northern record from the

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side of the

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. This species grows to a length of . This species is of minor importance to local

commercial fisheries Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must oft ...

. Locally, it is known as ''gripau'' (

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), ''charroco'', ''encharroco'', ''xarroco'' (

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), and ''pez sapo'' (

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)). The fish is also known to make a variety of noises, such as whistles, grunts, croaks, and a boatwhistle that is used both to attract females and to deter intruding males. The Lusitanian toadfish is a sedentary fish which is found in substrates consisting of soft sand or mud and which often lies partially buried or conceals itself in rock crevices. They are solitary fish of shallow waters. It is a predator feeding on crustaceans, molluscs and smaller fish. It is an

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), a ...

species and after laying, the female leaves the eggs to be guarded by the male. It is found at depths of less than . The Lusitanian toadfish is of minor importance to fisheries, it is taken by artisanal fisheries and as

bycatch Bycatch (or by-catch), in the fishing industry, is a fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while fishing for specific species or sizes of wildlife. Bycatch is either the wrong species, the wrong sex, or is undersized or juven ...

. It is marketed fresh but also used for fishmeal and to make oil.

References

Batrachoididae Taxa named by Marcus Elieser Bloch Taxa named by Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider Fish described in 1801 {{Batrachoidiformes-stub