Northern puffer

Northern puffer
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Tetraodontiformes
Family: Tetraodontidae
Genus: Sphoeroides
Species:
S. maculatus
Binomial name
Sphoeroides maculatus
(Linnaeus, 1758)

The northern puffer, Sphoeroides maculatus, is a species in the family Tetraodontidae, or pufferfishes, found along the Atlantic coast of North America.[2] Unlike many other pufferfish species, the flesh of the northern puffer is not poisonous, although its viscera can contain poison,[1][2] and high concentrations of toxins have been observed in the skin of Floridian populations.[3]: 30  They are commonly called sugar toads in the Chesapeake Bay region, where they are eaten as a delicacy.[4][failed verification] There was widespread consumption of northern puffers during the rationing that accompanied the Second World War, establishing a commercial fishery that reached its zenith in the 1960s.[1][3]: 36–39  In much of the Northeast, the fish is known simply as "blowfish" or "chicken of the sea".[5] They may also be sold as "sea squab".[1][6]

Description

The northern puffer has the shape of a club.[6] Adults have small spines covering the entire body with a tiny beak-like mouth. It is characterized by vertical stripes with a gray to brown dorsal surface and a yellow to white belly.[6] It has tiny jet-black pepper spots (about 1 mm in diameter) scattered over most of pigmented surface, particularly evident on cheeks. Lower sides of the body have a row of black, elongate, bar-like markings. A small dorsal fin is set far back near the tail. Sphoeroides maculatus, like others in the puffer family, "puffs up" into a ball in self-defense by inhaling water into a special chamber near its stomach. They will puff up with air if taken out of the water. The northern puffer reaches up to 36 cm (1 ft 2 in) in length, but is usually around 20 cm (8 in).[2]

Habitat

The northern puffer inhabits bays, estuaries and protected coastal waters at depths of 10–183 m (33–600 ft) in the northwest Atlantic.[2] It ranges from Florida (U.S.) to Newfoundland (Canada).[2]

Diet

The northern puffer feeds primarily on shellfish, and occasionally on finfish. Using its beak-like mouth it can extract shellfish from their shells and sometimes break the shells to obtain a meal. They will attack blue crabs, blowing water underneath to turn the crab over, then attack the underside before it can right itself.[citation needed]

Life cycle

Northern puffers spawn from May through August in shallow water over sandy or muddy bottoms. The adhesive eggs are defended by the male until they hatch.[6]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sphoeroides maculatus.
  1. ^ a b c d Shao, K.; Liu, M.; Hardy, G.; Jing, L.; Leis, J.L. & Matsuura, K. (2014). "Sphoeroides maculatus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014. IUCN: e.T190246A1945870. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T190246A1945870.en. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Sphoeroides maculatus". FishBase. June 2008 version.
  3. ^ a b Sibunka, John D.; Pacheco, Anthony L. (February 1981). "Biological and Fisheries Data on northern puffer, Sphoeroides maculates (Bloch and Schneider)". Highlands, New Jersey: Sandy Hook Laboratory, Northeast Fisheries Center, National Marine Fisheries Service. Technical Series Report No 26. Retrieved 29 July 2023 – via NOAA Institutional Repository.
  4. ^ McClane, A.J. (1977). The Encyclopedia of Fish Cookery. Photographs by Arie de Zanger. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. p. 249. ISBN 9780030154317.
  5. ^ Misak, Bob (17 June 2014). "Chicken of the Sea". On the Water. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d "Northern Puffer". Chesapeake Bay Program Bay Field Guide. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011.