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Species: Diodon eydouxii, Pelagic Porcupinefish

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

snout spines < body spines
top tail base: 2+ spines
many large erectile spines
D & A pointed
body & fins: many spots

Diodon eydouxii Brisout de Barneville, 1846

Pelagic Porcupinefish

Body slender, inflatable; head wide and blunt; eyes large; nasal organ a flat short tentacle with 2 openings; teeth fused into a strong, parrot-like beak with two plates that lack a front groove, large, opens widely at front; gill opening a vertical slit before pectoral base; pectorals large; fins without spines; no pelvic fins; dorsal fin 16-18 rays; anal 16-18 rays; pectoral 19-22 rays; dorsal and anal fins of adult curved and pointed; body and head covered with numerous long (> eye), erectible, 2-rooted, slender, round spines; > 20 spines between snout and dorsal fin; 10-14 spines between lower jaw and anus; 2 or more small, fixed spines on top of tail base; spines on snout shorter than those an body; a short, fixed spine immediately above gill opening.

Medium to dark blue above, shading to white below; a dark blue bar from eye down and forwards; top and sides with black or dark blue < eye sized spots, mostly at spine bases, but no large dark blotches; round spots on dorsal, tail and pectoral fins; anal dusky.

Size: 30 cm.

Habitat: oceanic, epipelagic.

Depth: 0-140 m.

Circumtropical; scattered records from Bermuda to the SE Caribbean.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Offshore
  • Offshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Mid Water
  • Near Surface
  • Surface
  • Water column only
Habitat
  • Water column
FishBase Habitat
  • Pelagic
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
  • Planktivore
Diet
  • Data
  • Zooplankton
  • Pelagic crustacea
  • Pelagic fish larvae
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Live birth
  • Pelagic
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Circumtropical ( Indian + Pacific + Atlantic Oceans)
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Also in Brazil
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Extends N + S of GC
  • Extends North of GC
  • Extends South of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • Island (s)
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Temperate (>35N)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 30
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 140