Thalassophryne megalops

Common Name

Bigeye Toadfish

Year Described

Bean & Weed, 1910

Identification

Dorsal Fin: II, 17-19
Anal Fin: 16-18
Pectoral Fin: 13-15
Pelvic Fin: I, 2-3
Vertebrae: 7 precaudal, 19-20 caudal

Dorsal spines (2) hollow and venomous. Pectoral fins with no discrete, pored venom glands. Head large and dorso-ventrally flattened. Lateral line distinct. Eyes relatively large and close together.

Color

Body uniform brown with four faint dark saddles on the body behind the head. Belly pale. Fins without spots or a white margin.

Size

Maximum size to 63mm SL.

Habitat

Deep water from 76-183m. Benthic

Range

Southwestern Caribbean: known only from the Gulf of Darien off Panama.

References

Collette, B.B. 1966. A review of the venomous toadfishes, subfamily Thalassophryninae. Copeia 1966(4): 846-864.

Collette, B.B. 2002. Batrachoididae (pp 1026-1042). In: Carpenter. 2002. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 2: Bony fishes part 1 (Acipenseridae-Grammatidae). FAO Species Identification Guides for Fisheries Purposes. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication No. 5.