Abstract
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.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 248-252 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Journal of Fish Biology |
| Volume | 64 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2004 |
Fingerprint
Keywords
- Lemon shark
- Mangrove
- Opsanus phobetron
- Scarecrow toadfish
- Sexual maturity
- Temperature
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Aquatic Science
Cite this
Newman, S. P., Gruber, S. H., & Handy, R. D. (2004). The scarecrow toadfish: Habitat, abundance and size at maturity at Bimini, Bahamas. Journal of Fish Biology, 64(1), 248-252. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2004.00274.x