Guinean Pufferfish – Sphoeroides marmoratus

Guinean Pufferfish – Sphoeroides marmoratus

The Guinean Pufferfish is a species in the order of the Tetraodontiformes and thus belongs to the superclass of the bony fish.

Description

Sphoeroides marmoratus has an elongated, cylindrical body with a light base colour. It shows brown patterns in various brightness levels. In addition, it has small spines on his body. His eyes are prominent and are orange with black pupils. The fins of the Guinean Pufferfish are transparent.
It reaches a maximum size of 20cm in length.

Habitat and Distribution

One finds the Guinean Pufferfish above sandy or rocky ground, down to a depth of 100m.
When diving in the Canaries it is very common. It also inhabits the coast of Portugal all the way to Angola, including the Azores, Madeira and Cape Verde.

Biology

Sphoeroides marmoratus lives solitary. For nutrition, they search for small invertebrates in the sand and also eat algae. If they are in danger, they are able to fill their bodies with water and are thus protected from enemies, since their spines are upright.
Further noteworthy is that it fluoresce orange.

Associated Species

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