WHATSTHATFISH
Bony fish

Web Burrfish

Chilomycterus antillarum

Also known as: Balloonfish, Blowfish, Bridled Burrfish, Burrfish, Globefish, Hedgehog Fish, Pacific Burrfish, Spiny Box Puffer, Spiny Boxfish, Striped Burrfish, Swelltoad, Webbed Burrfish

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2015
Adult
@davele · Harbour Village, Caribbean Netherlands · February 20181 / 10
01

Overview

Also called Balloonfish, Blowfish, Bridled Burrfish, Burrfish, Globefish, Hedgehog Fish, Pacific Burrfish, Spiny Box Puffer, Spiny Boxfish, Striped Burrfish, Swelltoad, Webbed Burrfish.

Found singly, over rubble and seagrass beds, of coral reefs. Spines always erect.
They feed nocturnally on hard shell invertebrates.

Porcupinefish spines lay flat, but when threatened they can inflate like a "football with spikes" so the spines are facing outwards to deter prey. The have a plated mouth structure for crushing shells or "fingers".
Can give a nasty bite!

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How to identify

Head & Mouth
green eye

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

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Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Western Atlantic, Caribbean
  • Country only · 10
LIVES IN

Found singly, over rubble and seagrass beds, of coral reefs.

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Adult photos 10

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Discussion 1

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1 comment

  • Lan Rice· 9 Apr 2014

    caught one of these 4/7/14 in Estero Bay (SW Florida). 11 inches long.

ALL STAGES
FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

Deep dive

Taxonomy

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classTeleostei
  4. orderTetraodontiformes
  5. familyDiodontidae
  6. genusChilomycterus
  7. speciesChilomycterus antillarum Jordan & Rutter, 1897

SourcesWoRMSFishBase

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More in the family

Porcupinefishes-Burrfishes (Diodontidae)