Species: Guentheridia formosa, Spotted puffer
Guentheridia formosa (Günther, 1870)
Spotted puffer
Body a heavy elongate oval; head low and broad, notably wider than deep; wide and convex between eyes; snout short; nasal organ consists of a low, broad papilla, with 2 large holes and a cluster of small pits on the inside of the papilla; eyes high on sides of head; jaws are a 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 below the dorsal; no pelvic fins; no spines in the fins; tail fin bluntly straight, with 10 main rays; tough scaleless skin, body with small spinules, no fleshy skin flaps.
Upper half of head and body dark, paler below; with variable yellowish markings: body with spots in various patterns, back and upper sides with evenly distributed, variably sized (½ eye to > eye), variably spaced dark spots, sometimes spots arranged or nearly united, in concentric circles, with smallest ring in center of back, all gradations between these two patterns occur; tail dusky, other fins greenish. Juveniles - cross lines on head, concentric rings enclosing rings on back, reticulations on sides.
Size: 26 cm.
Habitat: demersal on coastal soft bottoms, common in estuaries.
Depth: 0-10 m.
Costa Rica to Ecuador.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Brackish
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
-
- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom only
- Estuary
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Mud
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- Omnivore
- No Data
- Diet
-
- Sessile worms
- Sessile molluscs
- No Data
- Sponges/seasquirts/bryozoa
- Soft corals/hydroids
- Benthic microalgae
- Egg Type
-
- No data
- Benthic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
-
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- All species
- East Pacific endemic
- Regional Endemism
-
- Continental TEP endemic
- All species
- Continent only
- Panamic province endemic
- TEP endemic
- Continent
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
-
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- IUCN Red List
-
- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 26
- Depth Range Min
-
- 0
- Depth Range Max
-
- 10
