The long-spine porcupinefish (Diodon holocanthus), also known as the freckled porcupinefish, porcupine puffer, and porcupine pufferfish, is a species of marine fish in the family Diodontidae.[2]
| Long-spine porcupinefish | |
|---|---|
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| Diodon holocanthus at the Audubon Aquarium | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Tetraodontiformes |
| Family: | Diodontidae |
| Genus: | Diodon |
| Species: | D. holocanthus |
| Binomial name | |
| Diodon holocanthus Linnaeus, 1758 | |
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| Distribution of the long-spine porcupinefish | |
Description
The long-spine porcupinefish is pale in color with large black blotches and smaller black spots; these spots becoming fewer in number with age. It has many long, two-rooted depressible spines particularly on its head. The teeth of the two jaws are fused into a parrot-like "beak". Adults may reach 50 cm (20 in) in length.[3] The only other fish with which it might be confused is the black-blotched porcupinefish (Diodon liturosus), but it has much longer spines than that species.[4]
Diet
The long-spine porcupine fish is an omnivore that feeds on mollusks, sea urchins, hermit crabs, snails, and crabs during its active phase at night.[5] They use their beak combined with plates on the roof of their mouths to crush their prey such as mollusks and sea urchins that would otherwise be indigestible.[6][7]
Distribution
The long-spine porcupinefish has a circumtropical distribution, being found in the tropical zones of major seas and oceans:
- In the Atlantic it is found from Florida and the Bahamas to Brazil and in the Eastern Atlantic from 30°N to 23°S, as well as around South Africa.
- And In the western Indian Ocean from the southern Red Sea to Madagascar, Réunion and Mauritius.
- Also In the Pacific Ocean from southern Japan to Lord Howe Island, and east to the Hawaiian and Easter islands. Also from southern California to Colombia and the Galapagos Islands.[8]
Habitat
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They are found over the muddy sea bottom, in estuaries, in lagoons or on coral and rocky reefs around the world in tropical and subtropical seas.[9]
Spawning
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Spawns at the surface at dawn or at dusk in pairs or in groups of males with a single female; the juveniles remain pelagic until they are at least 7 cm (3 in) long.[3] Young and sub-adult fish sometimes occur in groups.
References
External links
- http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=127402
- http://fran.cornu.free.fr/affichage/affichage_nom.php?id_espece=1209
- Photos of Long-spine porcupinefish on Sealife Collection
Media related to Diodon holocanthus at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Diodon holocanthus at Wikispecies
