Vladichthys gloverensis

Common Name

Glovers Reef Toadfish

Year Described

Greenfield & Greenfield, 1973

Identification

Dorsal Fin: III, 17-21
Anal Fin: 13-17
Pectoral Fin: 18-20
Pelvic Fin: I, 2-3
Vertebrae: 10 precaudal, 17 caudal
Lateral Line: 15-16 upper, 5-7 middle, 13-19 lower

A tiny toadfish. Axillary pore absent behind pectoral fins. Discrete pectoral glands present. Many tufted cirri on head and around mouth. A plumose tentacle behind each orbit.

Color

Body light brown, covered in dark brown blotches and irregular bars as to form reticulations of the lighter base color on the body and head. A dark band runs from eye to behind the mouth. Fins faintly spotted and banded. A dark blotch and scattered smaller spots on pectoral fin base.

Size

Maximum size to 56mm TL. The smallest species of toadfish.

Habitat

Coral reefs from 15-34m. Benthic

Range

Western Caribbean: known only from Glovers Reef, Belize.

References

Greenfield, D.W. and T.A. Greenfield. 1973. Triathalassothia gloverensis, a new species of toadfish from Belize (= British Honduras) with remarks on the genus. Copeia 1973 (no. 3): 560-565.

Greenfield, D.W., R. Winterbottom & B.B. Collette. 2008. Review of the toadfish genera (Teleostei: Batrachoididae). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences (Series 4) v. 59 (no. 15): 665-710.