Porcupinefishes are medium-to-large fish belonging to the family Diodontidae from the order Tetraodontiformes which are also commonly called blowfishes and, sometimes, balloonfishes and globefishes. The family includes about 18 species. They are sometimes collectively called pufferfishes, not to be confused with the morphologically similar and closely related Tetraodontidae, which are more commonly given this name.

They are found in shallow, temperate, and tropical seas worldwide. A few species are found much further out from shore, wherein large schools of thousands of individuals can occur.

Taxonomy

Extant genera

The following genera are known:

  • Allomycterus <small>McCulloch, 1921</small>
  • Chilomycterus <small>Brisout de Barneville, 1846</small>
  • Cyclichthys <small>Kaup, 1855</small>
  • Diodon <small>Linnaeus, 1758</small>
  • Dicotylichthys <small>Kaup, 1855</small>
  • Lophodiodon <small>Fraser-Brunner, 1943</small>
  • Tragulichthys <small>Whitley, 1931</small>

Fossil genera

thumb|[[Prodiodon, an Eocene-aged fossil porcupinefish from Italy]]

The following genera are known only from fossil remains:

  • †Eodiodon <small>Casier, 1952</small> (Late Eocene of Belgium)
  • †Heptadiodon <small>Bronn, 1855</small> (Early Eocene of Italy)
  • †Oligodiodon <small>Sauvage</small><small>, 1873</small> (Miocene of Austria & Italy)
  • †Prodiodon <small>Ladanois, 1955</small> (Early Eocene of Italy)
  • †Progymnodon <small>Dames, 1883</small> (mid-late Eocene of the United States and Romania)
  • †Pshekhadiodon <small>Bannikov & Tyler, 1997</small> (Middle Eocene of the North Caucasus, Russia)
  • †Zignodon <small>Tyler & Santini, 2002</small> (Early Eocene of Italy)

Characteristics

Porcupinefish are generally slow-moving.

Some species are poisonous, having tetrodotoxin in their internal organs, such as the ovaries and liver. This neurotoxin is at least 1,200 times more potent than cyanide. The poison is produced by several types of bacteria obtained from the fish's diet. As a result of these three defenses, porcupinefish have few predators, though adults are sometimes preyed upon by sharks and orcas. Juveniles are also preyed on by Lysiosquillina maculata, tuna, and dolphins.

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File:Pufferfish (Butete).jpg|A porcupinefish in an aquarium

File:Porcupine fish.jpg|A dead porcupinefish with clearly visible spines on the shore

File:Preserved porcupine fish at a lab.jpg|Preserved porcupine fish in a laboratory

File:Porcupinefish1.jpg|A dead porcupinefish washed up on a beach

File:Porcupinefish2.jpg|A dead porcupinefish

File:Diodon nicthemerus - southern globefish - tokyosealifepark - 2019-1-8.webm|(video) Diodon nicthemerus swimming

</gallery>

See also

  • List of fish families
  • List of marine aquarium fish species

References