Sphoeroides spengleri
Bandtail Puffer
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Tetraodontiformes (Pufferfishes and Allies)
Tetraodontidae (Puffers)
Sphoeroides
Sphoeroides spengleri (Bandtail Puffer)
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.)
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Characters
Snout is long and acute. Nostril is paired, and nares are located at ends of short tubes. Interorbital space is narrow and moderately concave. Gill slit is arch shaped and slightly shorter than pectoral fin base. Gill rakers are very short and number 8 to 10. Measurements are expressed as percent of SL: head length 33%–39%, snout length 17%–22%, eye diameter 5%–9%, interorbital width 4%–6%, pectoral fin length 10%–14%, uninflated body depth 19%–22%. Pectoral fin has 13 or 14 (usually 13) rays. Dorsal fin has 7 or 8 (usually 8) rays. Anal fin is similar in shape to dorsal fin and has 6 to 8 rays. Spinules occur ventrally anterior to anus, are present or absent dorsally from nape to dorsal fin base, and if present laterally, are limited to cheek.
Color is dark brown dorsally, light tan laterally, and white ventrally, with a row of large, round dark brown spots along lower side from chin to caudal fin base. Numerous small light brown lappets are present on posterior section of body. Sphoeroides spengleri has a regular series of round dark spots on lower flank and two dark bands on caudal fin.
Distribution
western Atlantic from Massachusetts and Bermuda to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Antilles
Habitat Associations
shallow water, associated with sea-grass beds and reef flats
sea-grass beds and reef flats
Biology
Food consists of algae, sea grass, mollusks, polychaetes, sea urchins, brittle stars, and crabs and other crustaceans
Maximum known size is 180 mm TL
Abundant in all inshore habitats where there is adequate cover, such as seagrass beds and reef flats. Feeds on mollusks, crustaceans and echinoderms (Ref. 36453), also on worms and zooplankton larvae (Ref. 131040). Generally common (Ref. 9710). Traded as an aquarium fish at Ceará, Brazil (Ref. 49392).
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: commercial; aquarium: commercial.
References
Longley and Hildebrand 1941
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Randall 1968a
Randall 1996
Shipp 1974
Shipp 2002
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Shipp and Hopkins 1978
Castro-Aguirre and Márquez-Espinoza 1981
Boschung 1992
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith 1997
Vega-Cendejas et al. 1997
Castro-Aguirre et al. 1999
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Randall, J.E. (1967) Food habits of reef fishes of the West Indies. Stud. Trop. Oceanogr. Miami 5:665-847.
Shipp, R.L. (1978) Tetraodontidae. In W. Fischer (ed.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. West Atlantic (Fishing Area 31). volume 5. [pag. var.]. FAO, Rome.
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.
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.
Sanches, J.G. (1991) Catálogo dos principais peixes marinhos da República de Guiné-Bissau. Publ. Avuls. Inst. Nac. Invest. Pescas 16:429 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.
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.
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