Batrachoididae is the only family in the ray-finned fish order Batrachoidiformes. Members of this family are usually called toadfish or frogfish: both the English common name and scientific name refer to their toad-like appearance.
A midshipman fish is any species of toadfish belonging to the genus Porichthys. Historically, there have been two common names. Porichthys refers to the well developed pores on the fish, and this led to the common name "Porous Catfish". The other common name, "Midshipman" is based on the pattern of button-like luminous spots (photophores) which resemble the buttons on the uniforms of young naval officers known as Midshipmen.
Batrachoides is a genus of toadfishes.
Sanopus is a genus of toadfishes restricted to the Atlantic coast of Central America and Mexico.
Reicheltia halsteadi, Halstead's toadfish, is a species of pufferfish endemic to Australia. This species grows to a length of 16 centimetres (6.3 in) TL. This species is the only known member of its genus.
Tetractenos is a genus of Tetraodontidae. The genus can be found throughout the Indo-West Pacific and Australia's southern and eastern coastlines.
Chasmocranus is a genus of three-barbeled catfishes native to South America.
The smooth toadfish is a species of fish in the pufferfish family Tetraodontidae. It is native to shallow coastal and estuarine waters of southeastern Australia, where it is widespread and abundant. French naturalist Christophe-Paulin de La Poix de Fréminville described the species in 1813, though early records confused it with its close relative, the common toadfish. The two are the only members of the genus Tetractenos after going through several taxonomic changes since discovery.
The Bocon toadfish is a species of tropical toadfish in the family Batrachoididae found along the Caribbean-Atlantic Coast of Central and South America from Panama to Brazil in the sub-tidal zone. This species grows to a length of 40 cm (16 in). This species is of minor importance to commercial fisheries. It deposits its eggs on the shells of molluscs and on stones. It is one of the few marine species of fish in which the male guards its fry and juveniles. It feed mostly on molluscs and crustaceans. It is associated with coral and rocky reefsand has a depth range of 0–70 metres (0–230 ft) and is normally found on sandy or rocky sea beds, although it will also hide in caves and rock crevices.
The Pacuma toadfish is a species of toadfish found in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean along the coasts of Central and South America from Honduras to Brazil. It is the largest toadfish, reaching a length up to 57 cm (22 in) and a maximum recorded weight of 2.3 kg (5.1 lb). This fish is found in local commercial fisheries and the aquarium trade.
The banded toadfish is a species of toadfish found along the Pacific coast of South America where it is found in Chile, Ecuador and Peru. This species grows to a length of 28 centimetres (11 in) TL. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Aphos. Unlike the other genus, Porichthys in this subfamily the banded toadfish lacks photophores.
Austrobatrachus is a genus of toadfishes found in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans off the coast of South Africa.
Chatrabus is a genus of toadfishes native to the Atlantic coast of southern Africa.
Colletteichthys is a genus of toadfishes found in the western Indian Ocean. The generic name is a compound of the surname Collette, in honour of the American ichthyologist Bruce Baden Collette to recognise his contribution to the study of toadfish, and the Greek ichthys meaning "fish".
The Lusitanian toadfish is a species of toadfish found along the Atlantic and Mediterranean Coasts of western Europe and western Africa, from the Bay of Biscay to Ghana, with an isolated and old northern record from the Norwegian side of the Kattegat. This species grows to a length of 50 centimetres (20 in). This species is of minor importance to local commercial fisheries. Locally, it is known as gripau (Catalan), charroco, encharroco, xarroco (Portuguese), and pez sapo (Spanish)).
Opsanus is a genus of toadfishes found in the western Atlantic Ocean. It currently has six recognised species, with the latest one described in 2005.
Perulibatrachus is a genus of toadfishes known from the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.
Thalassophryne is a genus of toadfishes found in the western Atlantic Ocean with one species found in the Amazon River and some of its tributaries.
Thalassophryne maculosa, the Cano toadfish, is a species of toadfish which is common along the Caribbean coasts of South America from Colombia to Trinidad and Venezuela. It occurs on the sandy bottoms of reef flats, lagoons, and seaward edges of reefs where it sits partially buried in the substrate. It is a venomous species with the venom being delivered through spines and wounds from the spines have been known to cause severe symptoms of pain and illness that may persist for up to a week. A study of the holotype of Batrachus uranoscopus, said to be a freshwater toadfish from Madagascar, in the Muséum national d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris found that it was most probably a misslabelled specimen of Thalassophryne maculosa and that subsequent records of Batrachus uranoscopus were attributable to Allenbatrachus meridionalis, a species found in Madagascar. T. maculosa is the type species of the genus Thalassophryne, the generic name translates from Greek as "sea toad" while the specific name is Latin for "spotted".
The toadfish goby is a species of bony fish in the family Gobiidae which is found in areas of sandy substrates among coral reefs. It occurs in the western Atlantic Ocean from the Bahamas south through the Caribbean Sea as well as along the Central and South American coast from Belize to Santa Marta, Colombia. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Cryptopsilotris, although it was formerly classified under Psilotris and its generic name means "hidden Pilotris", meaning that it was hidden within that genus.
