Species: Opsanus phobetron, Scarecrow toadfish

Opsanus phobetron Walters & Robins, 1961

Scarecrow toadfish

Head and front of body moderately depressed; head narrow (19.5-30.1% of SL), with many barbells, especially around lower jaw; distance between eyes about = eye diameter; 2 solid spines on upper opercle and 1 below those; teeth molar-like to pointed, but no canines; gill openings restricted to side, before pectoral fin base; dorsal fin with 3 solid spines, spiny and soft parts joined, soft part 23-25, rarely 26 rays; anal fin 19-23 rays; dorsal and anal fins not joined to tail fin; pectoral rays usually 17-18, discrete glands between upper pectoral rays on inner surface of fin; a pore opening to surface at rear of base of pectoral fin; 2 lateral lines, no light organs; body without scales.

Grey brown with brown to black markings; inside top and bottom of mouth and gill chamber black in adults, pale in young; a dark bar under front of eye, a dark bar between eyes, continuing through eyes and obliquely back down to corner of operculum from eye; irregular dark bars on body; soft dorsal and anal fin with ~8 oblique, relatively narrow bars that are widest at the fin margins; tail fin with irregular bars, pectoral fin with narrow dark bars and cream spots.

Reaches 21.5 cm.

Lives in shells in shallow water.

Depth range: 0.5-12 m.

The Bahamas and Cuba.