Leopard Toadfish, Opsanus pardus
Leopard Toadfish, Opsanus pardus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Placida, Florida, February 2017. Length: 31 cm (12 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of George Brinkman, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
The Leopard Toadfish, Opsanus pardus, is a member of the Toadfish or Batrachoididae Family, and is known in Mexico as sapo boquiblanc and sapo leopardo. Globally, there are only five species in the genus Opsanus, three of which are found in Mexican waters, all in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Leopard Toadfish has a moderately depressed body. They are a light brown to yellow color. The head and fins have medium sized brown spots, the anal and dorsal fins have oblique rows. The body and pectoral fins are mottled. The inside of mouth is pale or white. They have a wide flattened head with numerous barbels around the mouth, two spines on the upper gill cover and one below. The mouth is equipped with molar-like pointed teeth and they do not have canines. The anal fin has 3 spines and 19 to 22 rays, the dorsal fin is continuous with 3 spines and 26 rays. They have 2 lateral lines and they are scaleless.
The Leopard Toadfish are bottom dwellers found within rocky areas including reefs at depths up to 90 m (300 feet). They reach a maximum of 32 cm (13 inches) in length. As of January 1, 2023, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 1.27 kg (2 lbs 13 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off Orange Beach, Alabama in April 2003. They are voracious predators consuming small fish, crustaceans, annelids, and mollusks. Males have a specialized swim bladder producing sounds known as “boatwhistles”, which are associated with courtship, spawning, parental, aggressive and territorial behavior. The Leopard Toadfish is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.
The Leopard Toadfish is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Caribbean.
The Leopard Toadfish is similar to and can be easily confused with the Gulf Toadfish, Opsanus beta (head and body with subtle spotting; pectoral fins with bars).
From a conservation perspective the Leopard Toadfish is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are caught in abundance as a bycatch via the grouper and longline fishery within the Gulf of Mexico. They are generally considered to be a trash fish and discarded.