Species: Diodon eydouxii, Pelagic Porcupinefish

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.