Sphoeroides maculatus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Northern puffer
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| Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050 |
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| This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed. |
| Sphoeroides maculatus AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF OBIS |
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Sphoeroides maculatus
Picture by JJPhoto
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Picture by JJPhoto
Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) > Tetraodontiformes (Puffers and filefishes) > Tetraodontidae (Puffers) > Tetraodontinae
Etymology: Sphoeroides: Greek, sphaira = ball + Greek, suffix, oides = similar to (Ref. 45335).
More on authors: Bloch & Schneider.
Etymology: Sphoeroides: Greek, sphaira = ball + Greek, suffix, oides = similar to (Ref. 45335).
More on authors: Bloch & Schneider.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology
Marine; brackish; demersal; depth range 10 - 183 m (Ref. 5951). Temperate; 54°N - 29°N
Distribution Territories | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri
Western Atlantic: Newfoundland in Canada to northeastern Florida in USA.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 36.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7251); common length : 20.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3821)
Max length : 36.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7251); common length : 20.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3821)
Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 7. Upper side grey or brown with poorly defined black spots and saddles. Belly yellow to white. Tiny jet-black pepper spots (about 1 mm in diameter) scattered over most of pigmented surface, particularly evident on cheeks. Lower sides with a row of black, elongate, bar-like markings. No lappets on head or body (Ref 53033).
Body shape (shape guide): short and / or deep.
Body shape (shape guide): short and / or deep.
Inhabits bays, estuaries and protected coastal waters. Sold as `sea squab' in northern part of range. Feeds primarily on shellfish, occasionally on finfish. Reportedly non-toxic.
Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Main reference
Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Matsuura, Keiichi | Collaborators
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray, 1986. A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p. (Ref. 7251)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2 (Global))
Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 10 June 2011
CITES
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial
FAO - Fisheries: landings search; Publication: search | FishSource | Sea Around Us
More information
Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Physiology
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
Tools
E-book | Field guide | Identification keys | Length-frequency wizard | Life-history tool | Point map |
Catch-MSY |
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Fisheries: landings search; Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | OceanAdapt | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | Public aquariums | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | RFE Identification | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record
Estimates based on models
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Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804) |
PD50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high]. |
| Bayesian length-weight | a=0.02512 (0.01130 - 0.05584), b=2.88 (2.71 - 3.05), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245). |
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Trophic level (Ref. 69278) |
4.0 ±0.66 se; based on food items. |
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Resilience (Ref. 120179) |
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.6). |
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Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153) |
Low vulnerability (24 of 100). 🛈 |
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Climate Vulnerability (Ref. 125649) |
Low vulnerability (22 of 100). 🛈 |
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Price category (Ref. 80766) |
Low. |
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Nutrients (Ref. 124155) |
Calcium = 38.7 [16.1, 97.2] mg/100g; Iron = 0.415 [0.167, 0.986] mg/100g; Protein = 18.3 [16.1, 20.6] %; Omega3 = 0.641 [0.299, 1.355] g/100g; Selenium = 15.5 [6.7, 35.4] μg/100g; VitaminA = 7.65 [2.05, 30.83] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.49 [0.34, 0.77] mg/100g (wet weight); |