Name: Flat Toadfish
Local name: Gomgama
Scientific name: Colletteichthys dussumieri
Classification: Class: ray-finned fishes; Order: toadfishes; Family: toadfishes (Batrachoididae)
Synonym: Batrachus grunniens, Halophryne trispinosus, Halophryne gangrene, Austrobatrachus dussumieri
Size: It commonly attains 20 cm, with a maximum length of 27 cm.
Habitat:
The Flat Toadfish is a benthic species that occurs in coral areas, over seagrass or macroalgal beds, and it may also be found in tidal pools.
Distribution:
It is known from the Western Indian Ocean, where it ranges from the Gulf of Oman to India.
Conservation status:
The Flat Toadfish has not yet been assessed globally by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In a recent regional assessment for the Arabian Gulf it was classified as Least Concern (LC). It is caught by hand lines, sold mostly fresh in markets, and appreciated for its tasty flesh.
Description:
: The head and anterior part of the body are depressed. Two or more tentacles are present above the eye. The gill opening ends below and anterior to the pectoral fin base, and a foramen is present in the upper pectoral-fin axil. The color is light brown shading to white ventrally, with four irregular, branching, dark brown bars on the body, and dark bands and blotches on the head and fins.
