Sphoeroides nephelus
Southern Puffer
NS
G5
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Tetraodontiformes (Pufferfishes and Allies)
Tetraodontidae (Puffers)
Sphoeroides
Sphoeroides nephelus (Southern Puffer)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (Carpenter, K.E. (ed.) 2002. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. FAO, Rome.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
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Synonymy
None / Sphoeroides parvus Shipp and Yerger 1969.
Characters
A blunt-headed fish with heavy jaws forming a beak of 2 teeth in both upper and lower
jaws. Dorsal and anal fins set far back near caudal fin; dorsal fin usu ally with 8 soft rays (no spines), anal fin with
7 soft rays (no spines); pectoral fins usu ally with 14 rays; pelvic fins absent. Prickles (sm all spinules ) c over-
ing variable portions of trunk, occasion ally absent. No lappets on head or body. Colour: upper side brown,
with large dark grey to black spots and light (pale blue or green in fresh specimens) irregular-shaped
reticulations. Lower side with an irregular row of dusky to black rounded spots; the axil spot the most intense
in the series; sexu ally mature, ripe males sometimes c overed with brilliant red or orange spots of about 1 mm
in diameter (white in preserved specimens).
Body shape: short and / or deep. Upper side brown with large dark grey to black spots and light (pale blue or green in fresh specimens) irregular-shaped reticulations. Lower side with an irregular row of dusky to black rounded spots. The axil spot the most intense in the series. Sexually mature, ripe males sometimes covered with brilliant red or orange spots of about 1 mm in diameter (white in preserved specimen). No lappets on head or body (Ref 53033).
Distribution
Throughout most of the Caribbean
Sea and in the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico;
r are along the Central Ameri can coast, absent
from the South Ameri can coast.
Habitat Associations
Frequents sh allow waters of bays and estuaries to depths of 20 m. Usu ally a
loner, except around bridges and piers where loose aggregations may occur, especi ally along eastern Florida;
feeds primarily on shellfish, also on some finfish;
taken on hook-and-line; not a good foodfish, has
been reported as mildly toxic; occasion ally mixed
with S. maculatus as ‘Sea squab’.
Biology
Maximum 250 mm; common to 200 mm.
Inhabits bays, estuaries and protected coastal waters. Feeds primarily on shellfish, also on some finfish (Ref. 3821).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none. Oviparous (Ref. 101750).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2011-06-07. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries.
References
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.
Carr, W.E.S. and C.A. Adams (1973) Food habits of juvenile marine fishes occupying seagrass beds in the estuarine zone near crystal river, Florida. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 102(3):511-540.
Shipp, R.L. (2003) Tetraodontidae. Puffers. p. 1988-2006. 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.
Watson, W. (1996) Tetraodontidae: Puffers. p. 1428-1441. In H.G. Moser (ed.) The early stages of fishes in the California Current region. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) Atlas No. 33. 1505p.
Comments On Sphoeroides nephelus