Opsanus dichrostomus

Common Name

Bicolor Toadfish

Year Described

Collette, 2001

Identification

Dorsal Fin: III, 23-26
Anal Fin: 20-22
Pectoral Fin: 17-19
Pelvic Fin: I, 2
Lateral Line: 24-29 upper, 20-26 lower
Vertebrae: 10 precaudal, 22-25 caudal

Head narrow, with interorbital distance less than width of orbit. Pectoral fin with 6-12 interradial glands. Axillary pore present behind pectoral fin.

Color

Lower posterior part of mouth darkly pigmented but upper part always pale. Body heavily mottled with various shades of brown, with darker spots and blotches and irregular white streaks and blotches. Belly and pelvic fin white. Dorsal and anal fins with oblique dark bands over white; angled posteriorly. Caudal fin banded in dark and white. Pelvic fin with narrow dark bands.

Size

Maximum size to 126mm SL.

Habitat

Shallow benthic (1-5m).

Range

The Bay of Campeche in the Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, and Belize. Also off S.W. Cuba.

References

Collette, B. B. 2001. Opsanus dichrostomus, a new toadfish (Teleostei: Batrachoididae) from the western Caribbean Sea and southern Gulf of Mexico. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology University of Michigan No. 731: 1-16.