DIODONTIDAE


Diodon hystrix
(photo by Suraphong Banchongmanee)


Diodon hystrix
Linnaeus, 1758
Spotfin Porcupinefish

D 14-17; A 14-16; P1 21-25.

Long erectile spines on head and body; 16-20 spine from top of snout to dorsal fin; frontal spines shorter than spines posterior to pectoral fin. All fins without spines. Color: olive to light brownish gray dorsally with many small black spots, becoming paler ventrally; fins yellowish with small black spots. Size: maximum to 75 cm. Distribution: circumtropical. Remarks: marketed in Ryukyu Islands, Japan.