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Opsanus pardus

(Leopard Toadfish)

Overview

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Critically Endangered
Threat status

Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Danish:

Leopardpaddefisk

Common Names in English:

Leopard Toadfish

Common Names in Finnish:

Pantterikonnakala

Common Names in Mandarin Chinese:

豹蟾魚, 豹蟾魚, 豹蟾鱼

Common Names in Spanish:

Sapo Leopardo

Common Names in Swedish:

Leopardpaddfisk

Description

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Family Batrachoididae

Toadfishes are known to occur in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. Chiefly marine : coastal and benthic ; rarely in brackish waters. Few freshwater species. 3 subfamilies: Batrachoidinae with 15 genera and about 43 species distributed off coasts of the Americas, Africa, Europe, southern Aisa, and Australia; Porichthyinae with 2 genera, 15 species and Thalassophryninae with 2 genera, 11 species, distributed in the Eastern Pacific and western Atlantic. Bottom dwellers feeding on invertebrates and fishes . CLOFFSCA: Small to medium-sized fishes (to 57 cm) easily recognized by their characteristic shape . Head broad and flattened, often with barbels and/or fleshy flaps; eyes on top of head, dorsally-directed; mouth wide. Gill openings restricted to sides, just in front of pectoral fin base . Two dorsal fins, the first consisting of 2 or 3 strong , sharp spines; the second consisting of a large number of soft rays ; pelvic fins jugular , inserted well in advance of pectoral fins, with 1 spine and 2 or 3 soft rays. One to several lateral lines on head and body. Body naked or covered with small, cycloid scales . Color: mostly drab brown with spots or saddles of black, although at least one coral reef species, Sanopus splendidus, is brightly coloured. One subfamily , the Porichthyinae, is characterized by having photophores (light-emitting organs) in rows along lateral lines on head and body. Toadfishes are bottom-dwellers ranging from shallow inshore areas to deep waters ; several species enter rivers , and some migrate regularly between shallow and deep waters. They are rather sluggish in their movements and are ambush predators , feeding mainly on molluscs and crustaceans. They may bite when handled. The subfamily Thalassophryninae, or "venomous toadfishes", includes species with hollow spines in the first dorsal fin and on the opercles; the spines are connected to venom glands that can force a poison into a wound. Although no catch statistics are reported, larger species of toadfishes are commonly found in local markets. Some species are eaten and may fetch fairly high prices in Venezuela and French Guiana. The family is divided into three subfamilies (Collette, 1966): Batrachoidinae (about 18 genera, 47 species), Porichthyinae (2 genera, 15 species), and Thalassophryninae (2 genera, 11 species). The more generalized Batrachoidinae is world wide in distribution and contains a few freshwater species, one in Central America and one in South America. The more specialized midshipmen (Porichthyinae) and venomous toadfishes (Thalassophryninae) are restricted to the New World. All Porichthyinae are marine but there are three freshwater species of Thalassophryninae in South America.The family Batrachoididae belongs to the Class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) and the Order Batrachoidiformes. It contains 19 genera and 69 species. It may be found in Marine, Brackish , and Freshwater environments and is primarily Marine. Some members of this family are used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are guarders . The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is subcarangiform. Compared with other fish, the activity level of this family tends to be sluggish. This family may be found from 60° n to 54° s and 135° w to 154° e. Etymology of this family name : Greek, batrachos = frog

Habitat

Inhabits offshore water on deeper rocky reefs.

Typically found in water with a depth of 0 to -74 meters (0 to -243 feet).[1]

Biome: Saltwater . Reef-associated .

Taxonomy

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Unambiguous Synonyms

  1. Batrachus tau pardus Goode & Bean, 1880

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Group expert : Collette B .B., Data last modified by FishBase 14-Sep-1999

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Opsanus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 11 species and subspecies in this genus:

O. barbatus · O. beta (Gulf Toadfish) · O. beta gamma (Gulf Toadfish) · O. brasiliensis · O. cerapalus · O. dichrostomus (Bicolor Parrotfish) · O. grunniens · O. hildebrandi · O. pardus (Leopard Toadfish) · O. phobetron (Scarecrow Toadfish) · O. tau (Oyster Toadfish)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 01, 2008:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Mean = 2,437.560 meters (7,997.244 feet), Standard Deviation = 1,067.060 based on 27 observations. Ocean depth information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
Last Revised: 7/2/2009