Acute toxicities of five commonly used antifouling booster biocides to selected subtropical and cosmopolitan marine species

► Tributyltin was not the most toxic antifouling biocides for 12 marine species. ► Irgarol was more toxic than TBT on the growth of autotrophic species. ► Toxicity of copper pyrithione was comparable to that of TBT for most test species. ► Copper pyrithione showed a higher toxicity than TBT on fish larvae. ► The toxicity data are useful for ecological risk assessment in tropics/subtropics.