Diodon holocanthus
| Longspined porcupinefish | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Tetraodontiformes |
| Family: | Diodontidae |
| Genus: | Diodon |
| Species: | D. holocanthus |
| Binomial name | |
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Diodon holocanthus Linnaeus, 1758 |
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| Distribution of the Long-Spine Porcupinefish | |
Diodon holocanthus, known commonly as the longspined porcupinefish or freckled porcupinefish among other vernacular names, is a species of marine fish in the family Diodontidae.
The species' diet includes sea urchins and hard-shelled mollusks.
The Longspined porcupinefish has a circumtropical in distribution, being found in the tropical zones of major seas and oceans:
Pale in colour with large black blotches and smaller black spots, these spots becoming fewer in number with age. Has many long, two-rooted depressible spines particularly on its head. The teeth of the two jaws are fused into a parrot-like "beak". Adults may reach 50 cm (20 in) in length. The only other fish with which it might be confused is the black-blotched porcupinefish, (Diodon liturosus) but it has much longer spines than that species.
The porcupine fish is an omnivore that feeds on mollusks, sea urchins, hermit crabs, snails, and crabs during its active phase at night. They use their beak combined with plates on the roof of their mouths to crush their prey such as mollusks and sea urchins that would otherwise be indigestible.
They are found over the muddy sea bottom, in estuaries, in lagoons or on coral and rocky reefs around the world in tropical and subtropical seas.
Spawns at the surface at dawn or at dusk in pairs or in groups of males with a single female; the juveniles remain pelagic until they are at least 7 cm (3 in) long. Young and sub-adult fish sometimes occur in groups.
It is used in Chinese medicine, and is captured at the surface with a hand net. It is poisonous if not prepared correctly. It is also found in the aquarium trade.
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Wikipedia