Vertebrate Zoology

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. A Dictionary of Zoology Further reading

toadfish

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

toadfish common name for the sluggish, bottom-feeding fishes of the genus Opsanus, found in the shallow waters from New Jersey to the Caribbean. Toadfishes feed almost entirely on crustaceans and small fishes. The head of a toadfish is broad and flat, with barbels and fleshy fringes, sharp gill covers, and spiny protrusions on the cheeks; the mouth is enormous and has many sharp teeth. The scaleless, slimy body tapers to a slender tail. Toadfishes grow to 1 ft (30 cm) in length. The eggs, sometimes laid in empty shells or tin cans, are guarded viciously by the male. The midshipmen ( Porichthys species) of the same family are deepwater fishes of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, with many small luminescent organs on the underside of the body. Other members of the family are found in tropical waters and have venomous spines. Toadfishes and their relatives are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Osteichthyes, order Batrachoidiformes, family Batrachoididae.

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toadfish

A Dictionary of Zoology | 1999 | | Copyright

toadfish See BATRACHOIDIDAE.

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MICHAEL ALLABY. "toadfish." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "toadfish." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-toadfish.html

MICHAEL ALLABY. "toadfish." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-toadfish.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Characterization and use of isolated toadfish hepatocytes for studies of heme... Magazine article from: The Biological Bulletin; 10/1/1995
	Predator-prey Interactions of Juvenile Toadfish, Opsanus tau. Magazine article from: The Biological Bulletin; 10/1/1999
	Temperature Effects on First-Year Growth of Cultured Oyster Toadfish, Opsanus... Magazine article from: The Biological Bulletin; 10/1/1999