Common Name
Oyster Toadfish
Year Described
Linnaeus, 1766
Identification
Dorsal Fin: III, 25-26
Anal Fin: 20-22
Pectoral Fin: 19-21
Pelvic Fin: I, 2
Lateral Line: 26-30 upper, 21-25 lower
Vertebrae: 11 precaudal, 23-25 caudal
Head wider, with interorbital distance greater than orbital diameter. Pectoral fin with 9-15 glands. Axillary pore present behind pectoral fin.
Color
Body light brown with irregular dark blotches and numerous smaller dark spots. Head pattern similar with bands radiating from the eyes. Extent and darkness of pattern very variable. Caudal and pectoral fins banded. Dorsal and anal fins with oblique dark bands.
Size
Maximum size to 432mm SL.
Habitat
Inshore and continental waters. Found around hard structure on the bottom.
Range
Massachusetts to eastern Florida.
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.
Murdy, E.O. & J.A. Musick. 2013. Field guide to fishes of the Chesapeake Bay. JHU Press, 360 p.