Diodon holocanthus
Long Spined Porcupinefish
©Bernard Dupont: Long Spined Porcupinefish (Diodon holocanthus), Jahir, Lembeh Strait, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Actinopterygii
Order
Tetraodontiformes
Family
Diodontidae
Genus
Diodon
Species
Diodon holocanthus
Distinguishing features
Pelagic juveniles have spots that are particularly prominent on belly; adults have dark blotches across back and spots between the blotches; the fins are without spots. They have 14 to 16 spines in an approximate row between snout and origin of dorsal fin. There is a large brown bar above and below each eye; a broad transverse brown bar on occipital region of head. (Fishbase)
Size
- Up to 50 cm (Total Length)
Depth range
- From 2 m to 200 m
Synonyms
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Distribution and habitat preferences
They inhabit shallow reefs to open, soft bottoms. Also in areas with rocky substrata. They sometimes form groups. They occur on open muddy substrates as well as on rich soft-bottom and coral reefs. Juveniles often with floating Sargassum rafts. (Fishbase)
Diet
They feed on mollusks, sea urchins, hermit crabs, and crabs at night. (Fishbase)
Web resources
References
- Randall, J.E., G.R. Allen and R.C. Steene (1990). Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii.