Common Name
Banded Toadfish
Year Described
Valenciennes, 1837
Identification
Dorsal Fin: II, 31-33
Anal Fin: 30-32
Pectoral Fin: 19-20
Body shape similar to Porichthys. Four lateral lines present. No photophores. No scales on body.
Color
Body silvery with several broad dark gray or brown saddles on the dorsal half. Head ranges from uniformly dark to mottled with dark gray to brown. Ventral surface white. Dorsal fin with dark saddle spots, often turning into oblique banding. Anal fin unpigmented except for a few dark blotches on the rearmost portion. Pectoral fin with dark bands. Outer half of caudal fin dark.
Size
Maximum size to 280mm SL.
Habitat
Benthic in shallow coastal waters.
Range
A southeastern Pacific species reported in the Straits of Magellan.
References
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2014. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (02/2014).
Other Notes
The existence of this species in the southwestern Atlantic is unclear. All references describe this species as being definitely present from Peru to central Chile, but several mention the range extending into the Straits of Magellan. If this species occurs there, then it is likely that it occurs on the Atlantic side of the Straits as well, or may occur there. I include this species until I see a reference that verifies that it does not occur in the vicinity of the Straits and thus has no chance of occurring in Atlantic Patagonia.