Common Name
Starry Toadfish
Year Described
Robins & Starck, 1965
Identification
Dorsal Fin: III, 30-31
Anal Fin: 24-25
Pectoral Fin: 21-22
Pelvic Fin: I, 2-3
Vertebrae: 11-12 precaudal, 26-28 caudal
Lateral Line: 37-41 upper, 33-36 lower
Head flattened. No plumose tentacle above eye. Axillary pore present behind pectoral fin. A few cirri present between eyes. Barbels around mouth unbranched. Pectoral glands absent.
Color
Body dark brown, reddish brown, to almost black. Belly paler. Head densely covered with small white speckles. Lateral lines with white spots along its length and random white speckles on the fins.
Size
Maximum size to 245mm SL.
Habitat
Benthic. Around hard structure on coral reefs.
Range
Western Caribbean: known only from Belize (Turneffe and Glovers Reef)
References
Collette, B.B. 1974. A review of the coral toadfishes of the genus Sanopus with descriptions of two new species from Cozumel Island, Mexico. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington v. 87 (no. 18): 185-204, Pl. 1.
Collette, B.B. 1983. Two new species of coral toadfishes, family Batrachoididae, genus Sanopus, from Yucatan, Mexico, and Belize. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington v. 96 (no. 4): 719-724.
Robins, C.R. & W.A. Starck II. 1965. Opsanus astrifer, a new toadfish from British Honduras. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington v. 78: 247-250.