Yelloweye Toadfish, Torquigener parcuspinus Hardy 1983


Other Names: Yellow-eyed Toadfish

A Yelloweye Toadfish, Torquigener parcuspinus, from northwestern Australia. Source: Australian National Fish Collection, CSIRO. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:
A pale brownish toadfish becoming white below with the upper part of the body mottled with small irregular white spots, and no dark lateral stripe or vertical bars below the eyes. The Yelloweye Toadfish is covered in well-developed spines projecting from short papillae which continue along the upper lateral line to the caudal fin base.

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2021, Torquigener parcuspinus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 14 Oct 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/1297

Yelloweye Toadfish, Torquigener parcuspinus Hardy 1983

More Info


Distribution

Southwest of Shark Bay to North West Cape, Western Australia, the Timor Sea north-west of Darwin, and the Great Barrier Reef to off Dunk Island, Queensland, and reefs in the Coral Sea.

Features

Dorsal fin 9; Anal fin 6; Pectoral fin 16; Caudal fin 11.
Body elongate, rounded dorsally and flattened ventrally, tapering to a narrow caudal peduncle; head length 2.6 in SL; snout to anterior of vent 1.4 in SL, to origin of dorsal fin 1.5 in SL, to origin of anal fin 1.4 in SL, to origin of pectoral fin 2.4 in SL; width at base of pectoral fin 3.2 in SL; depth from dorsal fin origin to anal fin origin 5.1 in SL; depth at posterior of dorsal fin 7.6 in SL; caudal peduncle length 4.6 in SL; least depth of caudal peduncle 15.3 in SL. 
Ventrolateral skin fold extending from behind pectoral-fin margin to caudal fin; lateral line indistinct, with small associated papillae, traces only on head, lines more discernable on mid-lateral and ventrolateral parts of caudal peduncle, extending to caudal fin base; upper lateral line on caudal peduncle associated with a double row of small papillae extending from the main spinous covering to the caudal fin base and each containing a small, though well-developed spine; no well-developed papillae along distal portion of lower lateral line, but a row of small spines persists to caudal fin base; body spines 2-rooted, moderately dense, strongly developed and project from short, narrow papillae, extend dorsally from level of nasal organs, through a narrow interorbital band, to either side of dorsal fin base, extended dorsolaterally under dorsal fin to meet papillae along upper lateral line, extended laterally from beneath nasal organ to dorsal fin base, extend ventrally from behind chin almost to vent; spines on cheek only moderately dense, scarcely extend over prebanchial margin. 

Similar Species

The similar Scalytail Toadfish, Torquigener squamicauda has a strong dark lateral stripe (absent in T. parcuspinus). T. squamicauda also has  strongly developed papillae along the distal portion of the lower lateral line (vs. well-developed papillae lacking in T. parcuspinus), and the dorsal and lateral spination of T. squamicauda is much more dense than in T. parcuspinus.

Etymology

The specific name parcuspinus is from the Latin parcus (= sparing) and spinus (= spine) in reference to the sparse spination of this species compared with the relatively dense spination of the superficially similar Torquigener squamicauda

Species Citation

Torquigener parcuspinus Hardy 1983, J. Roy. Soc. New Zealand 13(1/2): 23, fig. 9. Type locality: Lizard Island, Queensland.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2021

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Yelloweye Toadfish, Torquigener parcuspinus Hardy 1983

References


Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls. 

Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls. 

Gloerfelt-Tarp, T. & Kailola, P.J. 1984. Trawled Fishes of Southern Indonesia and Northwest Australia. Jakarta : Dir. Gen. Fish. (Indonesia), German Tech. Coop., Aust. Dev. Ass. Bur. 406 pp. 

Hardy, G.S. 1983. Revision of Australian species of Torquigener Whitley (Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae), and two new generic names for Australian puffer fishes. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 13(1/2): 1-48 figs 1-18 https://doi.org/10.1080/03036758.1983.10415335

Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P. 2013. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa 3696(1): 1-293 

Sainsbury, K.J., Kailola, P.J. & Leyland, G.G. 1984. Continental Shelf Fishes of Northern and North-Western Australia. Canberra : Fisheries Information Service 375 pp. figs & pls.

Shao, K., Liu, M., Jing, L., Hardy, G., Leis, J.L. & Matsuura, K. 2014. Torquigener parcuspinus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T193672A2258233. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T193672A2258233.en. Downloaded on 28 June 2018.

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37467029

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Danger:Poisonous

Depth:0-402 m

Habitat:Sandy & muddy areas

Max Size:10 cm TL

Native:Endemic

Species Image Gallery

Species Maps

CAAB distribution map