Chilomycterus schoepfii
Striped Burrfish
NS
G5
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Tetraodontiformes (Pufferfishes and Allies)
Diodontidae (Porcupinefishes)
Chilomycterus
Chilomycterus schoepfii (Striped Burrfish)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
When citing, please reference the original source rather than this page.
Learn more about our species accounts.
Characters
Short, erect, spine-like scales; interorbital region strongly concave; nares on either side of tip of tentacle in front of eye; snout strongly oblique, moderately concave, and relatively short; measurements (% SL): head length 39%–44%, snout length 15%–19%, eye diameter 9%–12%, pectoral fin length 20%–25%, un-inflated body depth 30%–37%; pectoral fin with truncate posterior margin and 19 to 22 rays; dorsal fin with 10 rays, anal fin with 10 rays; spinelike scales moderately short and moderately slender, with triple subdermal bases; 6 spines from front of head to origin of first dorsal fin; maximum spine height about half of eye diameter; 4-6 fleshy tentacles on chin, one above eye, tentacles accompany spines along sides of belly
Yellowish brown dorsally and white to yellowish ventrally, with dark blotches above and behind pectoral fin base, on base of dorsal fin, and ventral to dorsal fin base; dorsal and lateral sides of body patterned with narrow to moderately broad, wavy, and approximately parallel lines
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Nova Scotia and Bermuda to Brazil, including the entire Gulf of Mexico and the Bahamas
Habitat Associations
Shallow water, including bays and estuaries; pelagic as larvae and juveniles to about 20 mm TL, demersal and associated with sea-grass beds in protected waters as large juveniles and adults
Sea-grass beds in protected waters
Biology
Maximum known size is 280 mm TL
Very common in seagrass beds in bays and coastal lagoons. Also found on shallow coastal reefs (Ref. 9710). Has been traded as an aquarium fish at Ceará, Brazil (Ref. 49392).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders; parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2009-02-04. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: of no interest; gamefish; aquarium: commercial.
References
Longley and Hildebrand 1941
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith 1997
Vega-Cendejas et al. 1997
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Leis 2002
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994) Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
Motta, P.J., K.B. Clifton, P. Hernandez, B.T. Eggold, S.D. Giordano and R. Wilcox (1995) Feeding relationships among nine species of seagrass fishes of Tampa Bay, Florida. Bull. Mar. Sci. 56(1):185-200.
IGFA (2001) Database of IGFA angling records until 2001. IGFA, Fort Lauderdale, USA.
Leis, J.M. (2003) Diodontidae. Porcupinefishes (burrfishes, spiny puffers). p. 2007-2013. In K.E. Carpenter (ed.) FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae), sea turtles and marine mammals.
Comments On Chilomycterus schoepfii