Diodon hystrix
Porcupinefish
NS
G5
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Tetraodontiformes (Pufferfishes and Allies)
Diodontidae (Porcupinefishes)
Diodon
Diodon hystrix (Porcupinefish)
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.
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Characters
Relatively long, erectile, spinelike scales; interorbital region slightly 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 about 47%, snout length about 16%, eye diameter about 13%, pectoral fin length about 24%, body depth about 33%; pectoral fin with truncate posterior margin and 22 to 25 rays; dorsal fin with 15 to 17 rays, anal fin with 14 to 16 rays; spinelike scales long and slender with double subdermal bases; one or two small spines on dorsal aspect of caudal peduncle; spines mid-dorsally in front of head shorter than those below or posterior to pectoral fin base; 15 to 20 spines along mid-dorsal line from snout to dorsal fin origin, and 14 to 19 from lower jaw to anus; tentacles absent on body
Olivaceous dorsally and white ventrally, with numerous small dark spots on head, body, and fins
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Massachusetts and Bermuda to southern Brazil, including the entire Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Antilles
Habitat Associations
Tropical to warm temperate seas; pelagic as larvae and juveniles to 200 mm TL, demersal and associated with reefs as large juveniles and adults; depth range not specified
Reefs
Biology
Sea urchins, mollusks, hermit crabs, and other crabs
Maximum known size is 750 mm TL
Occur in lagoon and seaward reefs to at least 50 m. Commonly seen in caves and holes in shallow reefs (Ref. 26938, 48637). Juveniles to about 20 cm are pelagic. Adults benthic (Ref. 30573). Solitary and nocturnal that feed on hard shelled invertebrates like sea urchins, gastropods, and hermit crabs (Ref. 9680). Generally common (Ref. 9710). Not normally used as food (Ref. 3717). Reached a life-span of 10 years and a length of 69 cm in the McGinty Aquarium (E. Dashiell, pers. comm 2004), suggesting a preliminary K=0.12.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders; parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2011-06-07. Resilience: Low (tmax>10; preliminary K=0.12).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish; aquarium: commercial.
References
Longley and Hildebrand 1941
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Randall 1968a
Randall 1998
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith 1997
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Matsuura 2001e
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.
Myers, R.F. (1991) Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p.
Randall, J.E., G.R. Allen and R.C. Steene (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 506 p.
Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H. Hammann (1983) A field guide to Pacific coast fishes of North America. Boston (MA, USA): Houghton Mifflin Company. xii+336 p.
Randall, J.E. (1985) Guide to Hawaiian reef fishes. Harrowood Books, Newtown Square, PA 19073, USA. 74 p.
Leis, J.M. (2001) Diodontidae. Porcupine fishes (burrfishes). p. 3958-3965. In K.E. Carpenter and V. Niem (eds.) FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific. Vol. 6. Bony fishes part 4 (Labridae to Latimeriidae), estuarine crocodiles. FAO, Rome.
Smith, C.L. (1997) National Audubon Society field guide to tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p.
Figueiredo, J.L. and N.A. Menezes (2000) Manual de peixes marinhos do sudeste do Brasil. VI.Teleostei (5). Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo. Brazil. 116 p.
Comments On Diodon hystrix