Opsanus tau
Oyster Toadfish
NS
GNR
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
There are no photos available for this taxon yet.
Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Batrachoidiformes
Batrachoididae (Toadfishes)
Opsanus
Opsanus tau (Oyster Toadfish)
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
When citing, please reference the original source rather than this page.
Learn more about our species accounts.
Characters
Body shape: fusiform / normal.
Distribution
Western Atlantic: Cape Cod, Massachusetts to Florida in USA, straggling south to Miami in cold years.
Habitat Associations
Brackish, marine. reef-associated. depth range 0-5 m. Found in: estuaries, coral reefs.
Biology
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).
Max length: 43.2 cm TL; max weight: 2230 g.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; guarders (nesters); parental care: paternal.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2015-06-29. Resilience: Low (K=0.11; tmax=8).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish; aquarium: public aquariums.
References
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
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.
Adams, S.M. (1976) Feeding ecology of eelgrass fish communities. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 105(4):514-519.
IGFA (2001) Database of IGFA angling records until 2001. IGFA, Fort Lauderdale, USA.
Comments On Opsanus tau