| Batrachomoeus trispinosus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Batrachoidiformes |
| Family: | Batrachoididae |
| Genus: | Batrachomoeus |
| Species: | B. trispinosus |
| Binomial name | |
| Batrachomoeus trispinosus (Günther, 1861) | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
Batrachomoeus trispinosus, the three-spined frogfish or Broadbent's frogfish, is a species of Indo-Pacific toadfish, from the largely Old World subfamily, Halophryninae, of the family Batrachoididae. It is the type species of the genus Batrachomoeus . [3] It is said to be the only fish known to cry like a baby and produce complex non-linear calls. Others fish can only make simple linear sounds but human babies and other mammals use non-linear sounds in their calls, in which other animals associate such non-linear sounds with a sense of emotional urgency. [4]
B. trispinosus is a tropical species which can be found in a variety of habitats including intertidal flats near mangroves, estuaries, and reefs down to depths of 68 metres (223 ft). [5] It is distributed in the eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans from Thailand to the Arafura Sea between northern Australia and New Guinea, it is found in the Mekong Delta. [2] The alternative common name and the synonym Batrachomoeus broadbenti were coined by Ogilby in honour of the Australian explorer and collector of Australian and New Guinea specimens, Kendall Broadbent. [6]