Common toadfish

Species of fish

Common toadfish

Conservation status

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]

Scientific classification
Domain:  | Eukaryota
Kingdom:  | Animalia
Phylum:  | Chordata
Class:  | Actinopterygii
Order:  | Tetraodontiformes
Family:  | Tetraodontidae
Genus:  | Tetractenos
Species:  |

T. hamiltoni

Binomial name
Tetractenos hamiltoni

(J. Richardson, 1846)

The common toadfish (Tetractenos hamiltoni), also known as the common toado, toadfish or toado,[2] (formerly classified as Tetrodon hamiltoni[3][4] 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,[2] as well as in New Zealand waters. It often buries itself in sand with only its eyes exposed.[5]

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.[6] It has a maximum length of 14 centimetres (5.5 in).[5] It is similar in appearance to the smooth toadfish, but has smaller spots and more prominent spines in the skin.[6]

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.[7]

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."[citation needed]

As with other fish of this family, the flesh is poisonous, due to tetrodotoxin, and eating the fish can have fatal consequences.[8]

## See also

[edit]

* Aquarium fishery
* Smooth toadfish, Tetractenos glaber
* List of brackish aquarium fish species

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Shao, K.; Liu, M.; Hardy, G.; Jing, L.; Leis, J.L.; Matsuura, K. (2014). "Tetractenos hamiltoni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T193784A2276476. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T193784A2276476.en. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
2. ^ a b "Australian Faunal Directory: Tetractenos hamiltoni". Archived from the original on 2012-10-05. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
3. ^ World Register of Marine Species - Tetractenos hamiltoni (Richardson, 1846), accessed 8 March 2010.
4. ^ 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]
5. ^ a b Fishbase – Tetractenos hamiltoni, accessed 8 March 2010 (find mirrors).
6. ^ a b Australian Museum: Common Toadfish.
7. ^ 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).
8. ^ Puffer fish poisoning: a potentially life-threatening condition, accessed 8 March 2010.

Taxon identifiers

Tetractenos hamiltoni|

* Wikidata: Q2680881
* Wikispecies: Tetractenos hamiltoni
* AFD: Tetractenos_hamiltoni
* BOLD: 140485
* CoL: 7BQVT
* FishBase: 55042
* GBIF: 2407624
* iNaturalist: 349323
* IRMNG: 10883561
* ITIS: 646370
* IUCN: 193784
* NCBI: 303749
* Observation.org: 900112
* OBIS: 282945
* Open Tree of Life: 484074
* WoRMS: 282945

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