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Opsanus tau  (Linnaeus, 1766)

Oyster toadfish
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Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2100
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Opsanus tau   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Opsanus tau (Oyster toadfish)
Opsanus tau
Picture by IGFA

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Batrachoidiformes (Toadfishes) > Batrachoididae (Toadfishes) > Batrachoidinae

Environment / Climate / Range Ecology

Marine; brackish; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 5 m.   Subtropical, preferred ?; 43°N - 25°N, 82°W - 68°W

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Western Atlantic: Cape Cod, Massachusetts to Florida in USA, straggling south to Miami in cold years.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - 38 cm
Max length : 43.2 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 40637); max. published weight: 2.2 kg (Ref. 40637)

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Largely inhabits inshore water on rocky bottoms and reefs, jetties and wrecks. Frequently occurs among litter and tolerates polluted water. Becoming important as an experimental fish because of its size and hardiness. Has been reared in captivity (Ref. 35422).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Collette, Bruce B. | Collaborators

Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray, 1986. A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p. (Ref. 7251)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

  Least Concern (LC) 

CITES (Ref. 94142)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Venomous (Ref. 4690)




Human uses

Gamefish: yes; aquarium: public aquariums
FAO(Publication : search) | FisheriesWiki | Sea Around Us

More information

Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
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Ecology
Diet
Food items
Food consumption
Ration
Common names
Synonyms
Metabolism
Predators
Ecotoxicology
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development
Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
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References
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Aquaculture profile
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Processing
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Stamps, Coins
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Ciguatera
Speed
Swim. type
Gill area
Otoliths
Brains
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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | Faunafri | Fishes of Iran | Fishtrace | GenBank(genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | GOBASE | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | Public aquariums | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Scirus | SeaLifeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia(Go, Search) | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805):  PD50 = 0.5312   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00891 (0.00431 - 0.01843), b=3.08 (2.89 - 3.27), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref. 93245).
Trophic Level (Ref. 69278):  3.8   ±0.4 se; Based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref. 69278):  Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.11; tmax=8).
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Moderate to high vulnerability (50 of 100) .