Southern puffer (Sphoeroides nephelus)

Scientific name: Sphoeroides nephelus Goode & Bean, 1882

Southern puffer (Sphoeroides nephelus)

The Southern puffer (Sphoeroides nephelus) is a brackish-water fish of the family Tetraodontidae.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 7. Upper side brown with large dark grey to black spots and light (pale blue or green in fresh specimens) irregular-shaped reticulations. Lower side with an irregular row of dusky to black rounded spots. The axil spot the most intense in the series. Sexually mature, ripe males sometimes covered with brilliant red or orange spots of about 1 mm in diameter (white in preserved specimen). No lappets on head or body (Ref 53033).

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Sphoeroides nephelus
Family
Tetraodontidae (Puffers)
Order
Tetraodontiformes (Puffers and Filefishes)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
30.0
Common length
20.0
Depth range
0–11 m (0–36 ft)
Environment
Marine; brackish; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 11 m
Climate
Subtropical
Distribution
Western Atlantic: northeastern Florida and northern Gulf of Mexico in the USA and the Bahamas to Campeche in Mexico and Lesser Antilles. Taxonomic status of populations from northern South America to Brazil uncertain.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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