toadfish

English - English

Definition of toadfish in English English dictionary

Any of the ray-finned fishes of family Batrachoididae, benthic ambush predators

{n} the fishing frog, whose head is bigger than its body

The angler

A swellfish

Called also oyster fish, and sapo

bottom-dwelling fish having scaleless slimy skin and a broad thick head with a wide mouth

Any of about 45 species (family Batrachoididae) of heavy-bodied, carnivorous, bottom-living fishes, found chiefly in the New World and mostly in warm seas. Toadfishes, up to 16 in. (40 cm) long, have a broad, flattened head, a large mouth, strong teeth, and small scales (if any). Most produce grunting or croaking sounds. The oyster toadfish (Opsanus tau) is common in shallow eastern North American coastal waters. Venomous toadfishes (genera Thalassophryne and Daector), of Central and South America, have venom-injecting spines on their dorsal fins and gill covers. Midshipmen (genus Porichthys), shallow-water American fishes, have rows of 600-840 buttonlike light organs along the body

{i} fish with large thick head and wide mouth which inhabits warm seas and feeds at the bottom of the sea (resembles a toad)

Any marine fish of the genus Batrachus, having a large, thick head and a wide mouth, and bearing some resemblance to a toad

The American species (Batrachus tau) is very common in shallow water

Related Terms

A toadfish

sea toad

Hyphenation

toad·fish

Etymology

() From toad + fish, by reference to their toadlike appearance.