Sphoeroides pachygaster, Blunthead puffer : fisheries

Sphoeroides pachygaster (Müller & Troschel, 1848)

Blunthead puffer
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Sphoeroides pachygaster   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Sphoeroides pachygaster (Blunthead puffer)
Sphoeroides pachygaster
Male Picture by Cambraia Duarte, P.M.N. (c)ImagDOP

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: Müller & Troschel.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; benthopelagic; depth range 50 - 480 m (Ref. 33352), usually 50 - 250 m (Ref. 10985). Subtropical; 61°N - 51°S, 99°E - 149°E

Distribution Territories | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Circumglobal in tropical and temperate seas.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 40.5 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26350); common length : 26.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 47377)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7 - 9; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 8 - 9. Body without prickles (Ref. 559). Brownish above, white below; occasionally with dark spots on flanks (Ref. 4919). Tip of or all lower ray of the caudal white.
Body shape (shape guide): short and / or deep.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Inhabit sandy, muddy and rocky bottoms (Ref. 2683). Young are pelagic (Ref. 7251). Feed mainly on squid. In southeast Brazil captured between 50 and 145 m (Ref. 47377).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Matsuura, Keiichi | Collaborators

Schneider, W., 1990. FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Field guide to the commercial marine resources of the Gulf of Guinea. Prepared and published with the support of the FAO Regional Office for Africa. Rome: FAO. 268 p. (Ref. 2683)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2 (Global))

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 07 June 2011

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless (Ref. 559)





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource | Sea Around Us

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items (preys)
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
Spawning
Spawning aggregations
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Distribution
Territories
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
BRUVS - Videos
Anatomy
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Brain
Otolith
Physiology
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Genetics
Genome
Genetics
Heterozygosity
Heritability
Genetic Diversity
Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
Outreach
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Taxonomy
Common names
Synonyms
Morphology
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References
References

Tools

E-book | Field guide | Identification keys | Length-frequency wizard | Life-history tool | Point map | Catch-MSY |

Special reports

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Alien/Invasive Species database | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | National databases | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index
(Ref. 82804) 		PD50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight a=0.02754 (0.01759 - 0.04311), b=2.84 (2.71 - 2.97), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level
(Ref. 69278) 		4.2   ±0.73 se; based on food items.
Resilience
(Ref. 120179) 		Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability
(Ref. 59153) 		Moderate vulnerability (40 of 100). 🛈
Price category
(Ref. 80766) 		Very high.
Nutrients
(Ref. 124155) 		Calcium = 45.3 [18.9, 120.5] mg/100g; Iron = 0.907 [0.404, 2.246] mg/100g; Protein = 17.7 [15.4, 19.9] %; Omega3 = 0.351 [0.170, 0.724] g/100g; Selenium = 41.8 [17.4, 103.1] μg/100g; VitaminA = 20 [5, 85] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.535 [0.350, 0.845] mg/100g (wet weight);