BATRACHOIDIDAE


Allenbatrachus grunniens, 6.7 cm SL
(photo by Ukkrit Satapoomin)



Allenbatrachus grunniens, 8.6 cm SL
(photo by Keiichi Matsuura)


Allenbatrachus grunniens
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Grunting Toadfish

D III, 18-22; A 16-17; P1 20-22.

Body elongate, slightly compressed posteriorly. Tentacles on anterior part of orbit and posterior end of maxilla simple, pointed distally. Eyes oriented laterally; eye diameter less than snout length and interorbital width. Lower jaw terminal, projecting beyond upper jaw. Pointed teeth on jaws, vomer and palatines. Gill slit extending from upper three-fourths to four-fifths of pectoral-fin base. No pore at pectoralfin axil. Color: body and fins grayish to brownish or blackish, mottled with pale or dark irregular blotches. Size: maximum length 19.1 cm SL. Distribution: known from estuarine areas of the Ganges River east to the Philippines and eastern Indonesia, including the Gulf of Thailand. Remarks: occurs in coastal waters and estuaries over sandy and muddy bottoms.