Episode 2367
Smooth toadfish
Sat, 2023-Oct-28 00:40 UTC
Length - 2:08
Direct Link
Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day where we read the summary of the featured Wikipedia article every day.
The featured article for Saturday, 28 October 2023 is Smooth toadfish.
The smooth toadfish (Tetractenos glaber) is a species of fish in the pufferfish family Tetraodontidae. It is native to shallow coastal and estuarine waters of southeastern Australia, where it is widespread and abundant. French naturalist Christophe-Paulin de La Poix de Fréminville described the species in 1813, though early records confused it with its close relative, the common toadfish (T. hamiltonii). The two are the only members of the genus Tetractenos after going through several taxonomic changes since discovery.
Up to 16 cm (6+1⁄4 in) long with distinctive leopard-like dark markings on its dorsal side, the smooth toadfish has a rounded front and tapers to a narrow tail at the back. Unlike most of its relatives, it does not have prominent spines on its body. Like other pufferfish, it can inflate itself with water or air. It forages for its preferred foods—molluscs and crustaceans—in sand and mud of the bottom sediment. Often an unwanted catch by fisherman, the smooth toadfish contains a possibly fatal dose of tetrodotoxin and should never be consumed.
This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:40 UTC on Saturday, 28 October 2023.
For the full current version of the article, see Smooth toadfish on Wikipedia.
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