Common toadfish
| Common toadfish | |
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| Species: | T. hamiltoni
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| Binomial name | |
| Tetractenos hamiltoni (J. Richardson, 1846)
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The common toadfish or common toado or toadfish or toado[1] (Tetractenos hamiltoni, formerly classified as Tetrodon hamiltoni[2][3] or Torquigener hamiltoni) is a species of fish in the family Tetraodontidae of order Tetraodontiformes, found along Australia's eastern coast, from northern Queensland to Flinders Island, and around Lord Howe Island,[1] as well as in New Zealand waters. It often buries itself in sand with only its eyes exposed.[4]
The fish is sandy to whitish in colour, with small brown spots over most of the back and upper sides, and brown bars and blotches beneath.[5] It has a maximum length of 14 cm.[4] It is similar in appearance to the smooth toadfish, but has smaller spots and more prominent spines in the skin.[5]
Like some other fish, the common toadfish is able to vary the amount of pigment in its cornea, which becomes yellow in colour under bright light.[6]
It is (rarely) used as an aquarium fish for brackish-water aquariums. Along with related toadfish species, it is known in Australia as a "toadie."
As with other fish of this family, the flesh is poisonous, due to tetrodotoxin, and eating the fish can have fatal consequences.[7]
See also
- Aquarium fishery
- Smooth toadfish, Tetractenos glaber
- List of brackish aquarium fish species
References
- ^ a b Australian Faunal Directory: Tetractenos hamiltoni.
- ^ World Register of Marine Species - Tetractenos hamiltoni (Richardson, 1846), accessed 8 March 2010.
- ^ G.S. Hardy, "Revision of Australian species of Torquigener Whitley (Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae), and two new generic names for Australian puffer fishes," Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 13, No. 1/2, 1983, pp. 1–48. [1]
- ^ a b Fishbase - Tetractenos hamiltoni, accessed 8 March 2010 (find mirrors).
- ^ a b Australian Museum: Common Toadfish.
- ^ Ulrike E. Siebeck, Shaun P. Collin, Majid Ghoddusi, and N. Justin Marshall, "Occlusable corneas in toadfishes: light transmission, movement and ultrastruture of pigment during light- and dark-adaptation," Journal of Experimental Biology, Volume 206, 2177-2190 (2003).
- ^ Puffer fish poisoning: a potentially life-threatening condition, accessed 8 March 2010.
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