Biology:Northern puffer
| Northern puffer | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Tetraodontiformes |
| Family: | Tetraodontidae |
| Genus: | Sphoeroides |
| Species: | S. spheroides
|
| Binomial name | |
| Sphoeroides spheroides (Linnaeus, 1758)
| |
The northern puffer, Sphoeroides spheroides, 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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Shao, K.; Liu, M.; Hardy, G.; Jing, L.; Leis, J.L.; Matsuura, K. (2014). "Sphoeroides maculatus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN) 2014: e.T190246A1945870. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T190246A1945870.en. http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/190246/0. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2008). "Sphoeroides maculatus" in FishBase. June 2008 version.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 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. https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/33313.
- ↑ McClane, A.J. (1977). The Encyclopedia of Fish Cookery. Photographs by Arie de Zanger. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. pp. 249. ISBN 9780030154317. https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaoffi0000mccl.
- ↑ Misak, Bob (17 June 2014). "Chicken of the Sea". https://www.onthewater.com/chicken-sea.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Northern Puffer". http://www.chesapeakebay.net/bfg_northern_puffer.aspx?menuitem=14403.
Wikidata ☰ Q3753267 entry
 |  |
