Relevant synonyms Sphoeroides spadiceus Tetrodon spadiceus Misidentification None Meristic formula D, 12-13; A, 10-12; P, 17-18  photo : David Darom

SHORT DESCRIPTION Body inflatable; when not inflated, elongated moderately deep, round with flat belly. Short-based dorsal and anal fins, posterior in position, the origin of the former slightly in front of the later. Caudal fin moderately emarginate lanulated. Wide based pectoral fin, with round posterior edge. Pelvic fin absent. Head large with blunt snout. Mouth small. Two large teeth in each jaw with median suture. Gill slit in front of pectoral fin base. No scales, but small spinules on the belly and on the dorsal surface in a patch which does not extend posteriorly beyond pectoral fin margin. Two lateral lines, both extending to the head and curving around the eye. color : back-dark grey (adults) to olive-green with dark blotches (young). Side of head and flank-silvery, often with golden sheen. Belly-white. size : common 5-30 cm (max. 40 cm). DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS Lagocephalus suezensis: small spinules on the dorsal surface extending back to the origin of dorsal fin. Torquigener flavimaculosus: truncated caudal fin. Sphoeroides pachygaster: smooth skin. Chilomycterus spilostylus: three-rooted spines, fixed in erected position. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY When provoked capable of inflation of the body, by rapidly drawing water (or air) into its body. Feeds on benthic invertebrates. Eggs and larvae planktonic. habitat : bentho-pelagic.

1st MEDITERRANEAN RECORD Dodecaneses Islands, Greece, 1930. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide : wide Indo-Pacific. Red Sea, east Africa to Somalia, Japan and northern Australia. Mediterranean : recorded first in Dodecaneses Islands, Greece (Sanzo, 1930) ; successively recorded in the Mediterranean in Iskenderun, Turkey (Kosswig, 1950) and Israel (Ben-Tuvia, 1953). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Common species taken by trawl and purse seine. speculated reasons for success : - MODE OF INTRODUCTION Via the Suez Canal. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS No commercial value. Several organs are very toxic, potentially lethal.

KEY REFERENCES Sanzo L., 1930. Plectognathi. Ricerche biologiche su materiali raccolti dal Prof. L. Sanzo nella Campagna Idrografica nel Mar Rosso della J.N. Ammiraglio Magnaghi 1923-1924. Memoria Comitato Talassografico Italiano, 167: 1-111. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

Last update of the species sheet: March 2001 ©ciesm 2002