Porcupinefishare medium-to-largefishbelonging to the familyDiodontidaefrom the orderTetraodontiformes[2]which are also commonly calledblowfishand, sometimes,balloonfishandglobefish.The family includes about 18 species. They are sometimes collectively calledpufferfish,[3]not to be confused with the morphologically similar and closely relatedTetraodontidae,which are more commonly given this name.
| Porcupinefish Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Diodon holocanthus | |
Scientific classification
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Tetraodontiformes |
| Suborder: | Tetraodontoidei |
| Family: | Diodontidae Bonaparte,1838 |
| Genera[1] | |
|
Allomycterus | |
They are found in shallow, temperate, and tropical seas worldwide. A few species are found much farther out from shore, wherein large schools of thousands of individuals can occur.[4][5]
Characteristics
editPorcupinefish are generally slow-moving.[5]
They have the ability to inflate their bodies by swallowing water or air, thereby becoming rounder. This increase in size (almost double vertically) reduces the range of potential predators to those with much bigger mouths. A second defense mechanism is provided by the sharp spines, which radiate outwards when the fish is inflated.
They have upper and lower teeth that fuse into a shape of a parrot's beak; they use this beak to eatmolluscsandsea urchins.[4][6][7]
Some species are poisonous, havingtetrodotoxinin their internal organs, such as the ovaries and liver. Thisneurotoxinis at least 1200 times more potent thancyanide.The poison is produced by several types of bacteria obtained from the fish's diet.[8]As a result of these three defenses, porcupinefish have few predators, although adults are sometimes preyed upon bysharksandorcas.Juveniles are also preyed on byLysiosquillina maculata,tuna,anddolphins.[5]
Relationship with humans
editConsumption
editPorcupinefish are eaten asfood fishand are an exotic delicacy inCebu,Philippines, where they are calledtagotongan.However, pufferfish can be dangerous to consume since they can causetetrodotoxinpoisoning.
In popular culture
editThe porcupine fish (asDiodon antennatus) is mentioned inCharles Darwin's famous account of his trip around the world,The Voyage of the Beagle.He noted how the fish can swim quite well when inflated, though the altered buoyancy requires them to do so upside down. Darwin also mentioned hearing that a fellow naturalist, Dr. Allen ofForres,had "frequently found aDiodon,floating alive and distended, in the stomach of the shark; and that on several occasions he has known it eat its way, not only through the coats of the stomach, but through the sides of the monster ".[9]
Gallery
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A porcupinefish in an aquarium -
A dead porcupinefish with clearly visible spines on the shore -
Preserved porcupine fish in a laboratory -
A dead porcupinefish washed up on a beach -
A dead porcupinefish -
(video)Diodon nicthemerusswimming
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Matsuura, Keiichi (January 2015)."Taxonomy and systematics of tetraodontiform fishes: a review focusing primarily on progress in the period from 1980 to 2014".Ichthyological Research.62(1): 72–113.doi:10.1007/s10228-014-0444-5.
- ^Myers, P.; Espinosa, R.; Parr, C. S.; Jones, T.; Hammond, G. S.; Dewey, T. A. (2023)."Diodontidae: Classification".Animal Diversity Web.University of MichiganMuseum of Zoology.Retrieved1 April2023.
- ^Mills, D. (1993). Cooke, J. (ed.).Aquarium Fish.San Diego: Dorling Kindersley. pp.281.ISBN1-56458-293-0.
- ^ab"Diodontidae - Porcupinefishes".Animal factsheets.Australian Museum.18 June 2022.Retrieved1 April2023.
- ^abcMatsuura, K.; Tyler, J.C. (1998). Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.).Encyclopedia of Fishes.San Diego, California, USA: Academic Press. p. 231.ISBN0-12-547665-5.
- ^Dudley, Gordon; Sumich, James; Cass-Dudley, Virginia L. (2011).Laboratory and Field Investigations in Marine Life.Sudbury, Massachusetts, USA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. p. 159.ISBN978-1-4496-0501-8.
- ^Ponder, Winston Frank; Lindberg, David R.; Ponder, Juliet Mary (2019).Biology and Evolution of the Mollusca.Vol. 1. Boca Raton, Florida, USA: CRC Press.ISBN978-1-351-11565-0.
- ^Piper, R.(2007),Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals,Greenwood Press.
- ^Darwin, Charles (1845).Journal of Researches Into the Natural History and Geology of the Countries Visited During the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle Round the World: Under the Command of Capt. Fitz Roy.J. Murray. p. 14.
External links
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Media related toDiodontidaeat Wikimedia Commons
Data related toDiodontidaeat Wikispecies
