The scarecrow toadfish: Habitat, abundance and size at maturity at Bimini, Bahamas

Six scarecrow toadfish Opsanus phobetron were found in the stomachs of five juvenile lemon sharks Negaprion brevirostris, and subsequent sampling yielded 29 O. phobetron specimens from mangroves (45% of toadfish), conch shells (28%). and seagrass beds (25%) around Bimini, Bahamas during the winter. The presence of large numbers of scarecrow toadfish including mature females, when the water temperature was >22° C, suggests that this is a successful breeding tropical population and not a glacial relict.