{{short description, Common name used for fish Toadfish is the common name for a variety of species from several different families of

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

, usually because of their toad-like appearance or calls using their swimbladder. File:OysterToadfish.jpeg, The

oyster toadfish The oyster toadfish (''Opsanus tau''), also known as the oyster toad, ugly toad, oyster cracker, oyster catcher, and bar dog, is a Northwest Atlantic species of fish of the family Batrachoididae. The maximum length of this toadfish is , but the ...

(''Opsanus tau'') is one of the

Batrachoididae Batrachoididae is the only family in the ray-finned fish order Batrachoidiformes . Members of this family are usually called toadfish or frogfish: both the English common name and scientific name refer to their toad-like appearance (''batrakhos ...

. File:Tetractenos glaber.JPG,

Smooth toadfish The smooth toadfish (''Tetractenos glaber'') is a species of fish in the pufferfish family Tetraodontidae. It is native to shallow coastal and estuarine waters of southeastern Australia, where it is widespread and abundant. French naturalist Ch ...

, ''Tetractenos glaber'' (

Tetraodontidae Tetraodontidae is a family of marine and freshwater fish in the order Tetraodontiformes. The family includes many familiar species variously called pufferfish, puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, blowers, blowies, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, ...

). File:Neophrynichthys latus (Dark toadfish).gif,

Dark toadfish The dark toadfish (''Neophrynichthys latus'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Psychrolutidae, the fatheads and toadfishes. This fish is found on the continental shelf around New Zealand New Zealand () i ...

, ''Neophrynichthys latus'' (

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

Batrachoididae

The entire family ''

'' are typically 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 the Ancient Greek word (), meaning "the depths". ...

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

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 (anatomy), organ in bony fish that functions to modulate buoyancy, and thus allowing the fish to stay at desired water depth without having to maintain lift ...

Tetraodontidae

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

, including: * The banded toadfish, ''Torquigener pleurogramma'' (Australia) * The blackspotted toadfish, ''Arothron nigropunctatus'' (tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans) * The

common toadfish The common toadfish (''Tetractenos hamiltoni''), also known as the common toado, toadfish or toado, (formerly classified as ''Tetrodon hamiltoni''G.S. Hardy, "Revision of Australian species of ''Torquigener'' Whitley (Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodont ...

(or toadfish), ''Tetractenos hamiltoni'' (Australia and New Zealand) * 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 The smooth toadfish (''Tetractenos glaber'') is a species of fish in the pufferfish family Tetraodontidae. It is native to shallow coastal and estuarine waters of southeastern Australia, where it is widespread and abundant. French naturalist Ch ...

, ''Tetractenos glaber'' (Australia)

Psychrolutidae

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

: * The

dark toadfish The dark toadfish (''Neophrynichthys latus'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Psychrolutidae, the fatheads and toadfishes. This fish is found on the continental shelf around New Zealand New Zealand () i ...

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

pale toadfish The pale toadfish (''Ambophthalmos angustus'', previously classified as ''Neophrynichthys angustus''Keith L. Jackson and Joseph S. Nelson, ''Ambophthalmos'', a new genus for "''Neophrynichthys''" ''angustus'' and "''Neophrynichthys''" ''magnicirr ...

, ''Ambophthalmos angustus'' (New Zealand)

Gobiidae

* The

toadfish goby The toadfish goby (''Cryptopsilotris batrachodes'') is a species of bony fish in the family Gobiidae which is found in areas of sandy substrates among coral reefs. It occurs in the western Atlantic Ocean from the Bahamas south through the Caribbe ...

, ''Cryptopsilotris batrachodes'' (Atlantic Ocean)

External links

Fishbase list of species commonly called "toadfish"

Batrachoididae

Tetraodontidae

Psychrolutidae

Gobiidae

External links

See also