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Species: Sphoeroides yergeri, Speckled puffer

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upper part: many red-brown dots, often in rosettes
lower side pale + many tiny black dots
flank - many pale skin flaps
prickles above, below & sometimes on side body

Sphoeroides yergeri Shipp, 1972

Speckled puffer

Body oblong, thick, inflatable; head moderately blunt; nasal organ on each side a short papilla with 2 small holes at end; eyes high on sides of head; jaws are a strong beak composed of 4 fused heavy powerful teeth with a central suture on each jaw; a slit-like gill opening in front of the pectoral fin base; a single short- based dorsal fin at rear of body; a similar-shaped anal fin with origin under or behind last few dorsal rays; dorsal rays 8, anal rays 7; pectoral usually 14; no pelvic fins; no spines in the fins; tail fin edge bluntly straight, with 10 main rays; tough scaleless skin, flank with numerous skin flaps; prickles above and below on body and sometimes on sides.

Brown to grey above, paler below; upper head and body with small red-brown spots, often in rosettes; skin flaps on flank light colored; lower sides with many tiny black specks on a pale background.

Size: 12 cm.

Habitat: demersal on soft bottoms.

Depth: 1-64 m.

Belize to Colombia.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Sand & gravel
  • Submerged vegetation
  • Soft bottom only
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
  • Sea-stars/cucumbers/urchins
  • Bony fishes
  • Data
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
Egg Type
  • Benthic
  • Pelagic larva
  • Data
Global Endemism
  • All species.
  • West Atlantic Endemic
  • Greater Caribbean endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Caribbean endemic
  • GC endemic
  • Continent
  • All species..
  • Continent only
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
IUCN Red List
  • Listed
  • Least concern
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 12
Depth Range Min
  • 1
Depth Range Max
  • 64