FISHES –
Australia’s coastal and fresh waters are home to a wide variety of venomous (delivering toxin via spines, barbs, or bites) and poisonous (toxic to eat) fishes
Venomous Fishes (Injected Toxin)
Venomous fish typically use specialized spines or fin rays to inject venom when stepped on or handled
- Reef Stonefish (Synanceia verrucosa) & Estuary Stonefish: Widely considered the most venomous fish in the world. They blend in perfectly with rocks or coral. Their 13 dorsal spines act like hypodermic needles, causing excruciating pain, shock, and potential paralysis.
- Bullrout (Notesthes robusta): A common freshwater and estuarine stonefish relative along Australia’s east coast. Its dorsal spines deliver a intensely painful sting, though generally non-fatal. Lionfish / Butterfly Cod (Pterois volitans): Found in warmer northern and eastern Australian waters down to Sydney. Features striking warning coloration and long, venomous fin spines that cause severe pain and nausea.
- Scorpionfish & Butterflyfish (Scorpaenidae): Numerous smaller species lurk on reefs and rocky bottoms, responsible for minor to moderate puncture stings.
- Catfishes (Plotosidae): Species with thick, slimy skin or bony plates and venomous pectoral/dorsal spines that cause sharp local pain and swelling.
Poisonous Fishes (Ingested Toxin)
Poisonous fish are dangerous when consumed because their flesh, skin, or organs harbor lethal biological toxins that survive cooking, freezing, or cleaning.
- Pufferfish / Toadfish (Tetraodontidae): Familiar species like the smooth toadfish common in South Australian and national waters contain tetrodotoxin, a potent neurotoxin causing numbness, weakness, paralysis, and respiratory failure. [1, 2]
- Ciguatera-Carrying Species: Certain tropical and subtropical reef fish accumulate ciguatoxin through the marine food chain (microalgae to smaller fish to large predators). Notable Australian examples include:
- Spanish Mackerel & Grey Mackerel
- Giant Trevally
- Mangrove Jack
- Coral Cod & King Snapper
- Black Kingfish (Cobia)
pp. 20 illusts #021126