Diodon hystrix Linnaeus, 1758

Spot-fin porcupinefish

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Tetraodontiformes \| Diodontidae
Synonyms	Diodon hystrix hystrix, Paradiodon hystrix, Diodon armillatus, ... more
Common names	Spotted porcupinefish, Spotted porcupine fish, Hedgehog, ... more

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Image of Diodon hystrix (Spot-fin porcupinefish)

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AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF OBIS

Main reference

Randall, J.E., G.R. Allen and R.C. Steene. 1990. (Ref. 2334)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 91.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2850); common length : 40.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26999); max. published weight: 2,800 g (Ref. 40637)

Environment

Reef-associated; marine; depth range 2 - 50 m (Ref. 9680), usually 3 - 20 m (Ref. 40849)

Climate / Range

Subtropical; 35°N - 31°S, 111°E - 37°E (Ref. 55213)

Circumtropical. Eastern Pacific: San Diego, California, USA to Chile, including the Galapagos Islands (Ref. 37955). Western Atlantic: Bermuda, Massachusetts (USA), and northern Gulf of Mexico to Brazil (Ref. 7251). Eastern Atlantic: 30°N to 23°S (Ref. 6951). Western Indian Ocean: Red Sea to Madagascar, Reunion and Mauritius (Ref. 33390). Mediterranean (Ref. 50345).
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 14 - 17; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 14 - 16. Body robust; teeth united in each jaw but without a central division; body covered with long, sharp spines, folded backwards when body not inflated; 16 to 20 spines between snout and dorsal fin; dorsal region of caudal peduncle spiny; back, flanks and fins light brown with numerous dark spots; belly spiny (Ref. 55763). Spines long. Body grayish tan, with small black spots, but no large dark blotches. Belly white, surrounded by dusky ring (Ref. 26938). About 20 spines in an approximate row between snout and dorsal fin (Ref. 13442).

Occur in lagoon and seaward reefs to at least 50 m. Commonly seen in caves and holes in shallow reefs (Ref. 26938, 48637). Juveniles to about 20 cm are pelagic. Adults benthic (Ref. 30573). Solitary and nocturnal that feed on hard shelled invertebrates like sea urchins, gastropods, and hermit crabs (Ref. 9680). Generally common (Ref. 9710). Not normally used as food (Ref. 3717). Reached a life-span of 10 years and a length of 69 cm in the McGinty Aquarium (E. Dashiell, pers. comm 2004), suggesting a preliminary K=0.12.


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Not Evaluated	Poisonous to eat (Ref. 4690)

Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment Abundance	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

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Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)

PD₅₀ = 0.5312

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (tmax>10; preliminary K=0.12)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
Moderate to high vulnerability (48 of 100)	Not marketed/unknown

Entered by Luna, Susan M.

Modified by Ortañez, Auda Kareen

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