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Species: Sanopus astrifer, Starry Toadfish, Whitespotted Toadfish

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head & body black + white dots
only central chin barbels branched
upper LL 36-41

Sanopus astrifer (Robins & Starck, 1965)

Starry Toadfish, Whitespotted Toadfish

Relatively long bodied; head depressed, with many branched barbells and skin flaps, especially along lower jaw; only central 1 or 2 pairs of barbells on chin are branched; no cirri between eyes; front nostrils tubular; operculum with 2 solid spines at top corner and one at bottom corner; no canine teeth; gill openings restricted to side, before pectoral fin base; a large pore leading to a group of glands just behind base of pectoral fin, no glands on pectoral fin itself; dorsal fin III, 31-34; 24-28 anal fin rays; 2 lateral lines, 30-41 papillae on upper lateral line, 27-36 on lower line, no light organs; no scales.

Dark grey-black; head and and body with many small white spots.

Reaches 27.8 cm.

Lives in caves under corals.

Depth range: 5-30 m.

Caribbean Mexico to Belize.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Reef only
  • Corals
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Bony fishes
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
  • Mobile benthic worms
Egg Type
  • Benthic
  • Data
  • No pelagic larva
  • No pelagic phase
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Caribbean endemic
  • Continent
  • Continent only
  • GC endemic
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Listed
  • Vulnerable
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 27.8
Depth Range Min
  • 5
Depth Range Max
  • 30