Shorefishes of the Eastern Pacific online information system

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Species: Daector dowi, Brownback toadfish, Dows' toadfish, Spotted toadfish

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

back: dark + white reticulations
LL white stripe
D1: 2 hollow spines, black
D2 & C: black borders
operculum - 1 spine

Daector dowi (Jordan & Gilbert, 1887)

Brownback toadfish, Spotted toadfish, Dows' toadfish

Body elongate, compressed, tapering to rear; head robust, flattened on top; mouth strongly oblique, lower jaw projecting; teeth canine like; operculum with 1 hollow, venomous spine at upper corner; 2 dorsal fins, first of two hollow, venomous spines; dorsal rays II + 29-33 (usually 31); anal rays 28-30 (usually 29); pectoral rays 16-18 (usually 17); soft dorsal and anal long and low, attached to base of tail fin; single lateral line; without light organs; no scales.

Dark brown on upper half of head and body, whitish below; dark upper portion with white vermiculations and prominent white stripe along lateral line; spinous dorsal fin black; outer edge of second dorsal and caudal fin blackish.

Size: to 16 cm.

Inhabits sand or mud bottoms of bays and estuaries.

Depth: 1-60 m.

Costa Rica to northern Peru.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Brackish
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom only
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Sand & gravel
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Soft bottom only
  • Mud
  • Estuary
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
Feeding Group
  • No Data
  • Carnivore
Diet
  • Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
  • Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
  • Bony fishes
  • No Data
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
Egg Type
  • No pelagic phase
  • Benthic
  • No pelagic larva
  • No data
Global Endemism
  • East Pacific endemic
  • All species
  • Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Continental TEP endemic
  • Panamic province endemic
  • Continent only
  • All species
  • TEP endemic
  • Continent
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 16
Depth Range Min
  • 1
Depth Range Max
  • 60