Fish

Silver-cheeked toadfish

Lagocephalus sceleratus

An invasive visitor along the Cypriot coast. Officials say it is no threat to swimmers who leave it alone, and no sighting is ever a promise.

Least ConcernIn 19 Atlas countries

Least Concern (IUCN, 2011) means that, worldwide, it is not currently considered at risk of extinction. In the Mediterranean it is an invasive species.

Silver-cheeked toadfish resting just above sandy seabed, with its pale belly and dark-spotted back — Photo: Rickard Zerpe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Spotted silver-cheeked toadfish hovering over a sandy seabed at night — Photo: Julien Renoult, iNaturalist, CC BY

Silver-cheeked toadfish drifting above sand, pale silver sides marked with dark spots — Photo: Julien Renoult, iNaturalist, CC BY

Elongated silver-cheeked toadfish in clear shallow water over rock — Photo: Francesco Cecere (francescocecere), iNaturalist, CC0

Photos show the species, not always the places on this page.

Length

Reported up to 110 cm (43 in) total length. In the eastern Mediterranean one study measured fish up to 64 cm (25 in), and a fish caught in Croatia in 2024 weighed 1.33 kg.

Weight

Up to about 9 kg (20 lb) reported. The 2024 Croatian fish weighed 1.33 kg (2.9 lb).

Next to a person

Large fish can be longer than an adult's arm, up to roughly the length of a small child.

What it eats

Mostly animals that live on the seabed, including bivalves, snails, sea urchins, crustaceans and fish. In the eastern Mediterranean, fish longer than about 20 cm ate mainly cephalopods such as cuttlefish and octopus. FishBase describes it as an omnivore.

Around people

Look, never touch

How it lives

The silver-cheeked toadfish is native to the Indo-West Pacific and entered the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. It was first reported in the Mediterranean in 2003. It lives on offshore reefs and sandy bottoms, mostly 18 to 100 m deep. Young fish use sandy bottoms, and larger breeding fish favour seagrass meadows. It spawns in summer, and the eggs and larvae drift in open water. Reported maximum age is about 7 years. It carries tetrodotoxin, a strong toxin that is dangerous if the fish is eaten.

Where it goes

No regular migration is described in the sources read. Since its first Mediterranean sighting in 2003 it has spread west and north, reaching the northern Adriatic in Croatia in May 2024, the northernmost record then. Larger breeding fish are reported moving into seagrass meadows.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

Listed as Least Concern by the IUCN worldwide (assessed 2011), but invasive in the Mediterranean. Cyprus has no scientific census or official estimate of its population in the exclusive economic zone. Since June 2024 a grant scheme pays professional fishers 4.73 euros per kg landed, funded through 2029, and had collected over 103 tonnes by June 2026 with about 150 fishers in 11 groups taking part. The species damages nets and fishing gear. Selling it is prohibited across the EU.

Meet it respectfully

If you see one, keep your distance and carry on. The fish defends itself only when disturbed, and reported incidents involved people who approached, touched or fed trapped fish. Never touch, tease, feed or try to catch one, as the beak can cause severe injuries. Never eat it: there is no antidote to tetrodotoxin, and its sale is banned in the EU. Report sightings and follow local rules and your guide.

Fun fact

Tap the bulb to light it up.

Sources for this page

Facts checked 5 October 2026. Photos: Unsplash licence, or Creative Commons as shown on each photo.

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