FB-70596 http://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=70596 Animalia Chordata Teleostei Gobiesociformes Gobiesocidae Rhinolepadichthys Rhinolepadichthys polyastrous (Fujiwara & Motomura, 2021) Baiacu-pinima Southern bandtail puffer 2024-05-30 2024-05-30 Araujo, G.S., Y.R Kurtz, I. Sazima, P.H. Carvalho, S.R. Floeter, A. Vilasboa, M.M. Rotundo, C.E.L. Ferreira, J.P. Barreiros, D.E. Pitassy and A. Carvalho-Filho0 Evolutionary history, biogeography, and a new species of Sphoeroides a(Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae): how the major biogeographic barriers of the Atlantic Ocean shaped the evolution of a pufferfish genus. Zool. J. of the Linnean Soc. 199(4):978-993. (Ref. 131040) FB-GeneralDescr-70606 http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text text/html Estelita Emily Capuli 2024-06-05 00:00:00 2024-06-05 00:00:00 Biology http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ http://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=70606 This species is common in shallow, clear reef waters, up to 20 m deep along the Brazilian coast, and occasionally to 70 m depth; usually observed alone, in pairs or small groups, and often several individuals are found in a small area, hovering over the substrate. It rarely occurs inseagrass beds. It is a generalist zoobenthivore, but frequently consumes zooplankton and drift material in the water column or at water surface. Diet is composed of crustaceans, molluscs, worms, echinoderms, and zooplankton larvae. Several individuals of this species were attracted to mussels opened by a diver, which indicates opportunistic foraging, a feature observed for several other pufferfish specie. An individual was observed following a hunting gold spotted eel Myrichthys ocellatus Lesueur, 1825 and snatching two small crabs flushed by the eel, which again demonstrates its opportunistic foraging. This species is diurnal, spending the night in reef crevices or partially buried on the adjacent sand/gravel bottom, with the eyes and upper dorsum exposed (Ref. 131040). Araujo, G.S., Y.R Kurtz, I. Sazima, P.H. Carvalho, S.R. Floeter, A. Vilasboa, M.M. Rotundo, C.E.L. Ferreira, J.P. Barreiros, D.E. Pitassy and A. Carvalho-Filho 2023 Evolutionary history, biogeography, and a new species of Sphoeroides a(Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae): how the major biogeographic barriers of the Atlantic Ocean shaped the evolution of a pufferfish genus. Zool. J. of the Linnean Soc. 199(4):978-993. (Ref. 131040) FB-DiagnosticDescr-70606 http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text text/html Estelita Emily Capuli 2024-06-05 00:00:00 2024-06-05 00:00:00 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ http://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=70606 This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following characters: D 7-8 (rarely 6); A 6-8, rarely 5 (unbranched rays 0-2, branched rays 4-6); pectoral-fin rays 13-14 (rarely 11, 12, 15, or 16), not including a rudimentary one on upper fin sheath; dorsal-fin rays 7–8 (rarely 6); dorsum with two pale lappets before opercle, none black; lappets on left sagittal section of body 24-34; lappets on head before opercle 1-8; adults no prickles on dorsum or sides of body (rarely a small patch after interorbital space), prickles occasionally present in juveniles from interorbital to middle back; very distinct row of black spots on ventrolateral body from chin to end of caudal-fin peduncle, the mid-ones vertically oblong, those on extremities rounded and considerably smaller; absence of black rounded spots above ventrolateral row; caudal fin with a dark bar at base and a very wide yellow-greenish bar posteriorly (Ref. 131040). Araujo, G.S., Y.R Kurtz, I. Sazima, P.H. Carvalho, S.R. Floeter, A. Vilasboa, M.M. Rotundo, C.E.L. Ferreira, J.P. Barreiros, D.E. Pitassy and A. Carvalho-Filho 2023 Evolutionary history, biogeography, and a new species of Sphoeroides a(Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae): how the major biogeographic barriers of the Atlantic Ocean shaped the evolution of a pufferfish genus. Zool. J. of the Linnean Soc. 199(4):978-993. (Ref. 131040) FB-Morphology-70606 http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text text/html Estelita Emily Capuli 2024-06-05 00:00:00 2024-06-05 00:00:00 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ http://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=70606 Dorsal soft rays (total): 7 - 8; Analsoft rays: 6 - 8 Araujo, G.S., Y.R Kurtz, I. Sazima, P.H. Carvalho, S.R. Floeter, A. Vilasboa, M.M. Rotundo, C.E.L. Ferreira, J.P. Barreiros, D.E. Pitassy and A. Carvalho-Filho 2023 Evolutionary history, biogeography, and a new species of Sphoeroides a(Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae): how the major biogeographic barriers of the Atlantic Ocean shaped the evolution of a pufferfish genus. Zool. J. of the Linnean Soc. 199(4):978-993. (Ref. 131040) FB-Distribution-70606 http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text text/html Estelita Emily Capuli 2024-06-05 00:00:00 2024-06-27 00:00:00 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ http://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=70606 Southwestern Atlantic: Brazil, vagrants may occur in the Southern Caribbean. Araujo, G.S., Y.R Kurtz, I. Sazima, P.H. Carvalho, S.R. Floeter, A. Vilasboa, M.M. Rotundo, C.E.L. Ferreira, J.P. Barreiros, D.E. Pitassy and A. Carvalho-Filho 2023 Evolutionary history, biogeography, and a new species of Sphoeroides a(Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae): how the major biogeographic barriers of the Atlantic Ocean shaped the evolution of a pufferfish genus. Zool. J. of the Linnean Soc. 199(4):978-993. (Ref. 131040) FB-Size-70606 http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text text/html Estelita Emily Capuli 2024-06-05 00:00:00 2024-06-05 00:00:00 Max. size http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ http://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=70606 14.0 cm SL (male/unsexed; (Ref. 131040)) Araujo, G.S., Y.R Kurtz, I. Sazima, P.H. Carvalho, S.R. Floeter, A. Vilasboa, M.M. Rotundo, C.E.L. Ferreira, J.P. Barreiros, D.E. Pitassy and A. Carvalho-Filho 2023 Evolutionary history, biogeography, and a new species of Sphoeroides a(Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae): how the major biogeographic barriers of the Atlantic Ocean shaped the evolution of a pufferfish genus. Zool. J. of the Linnean Soc. 199(4):978-993. (Ref. 131040) FB-Threats-2 http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text text/html Belen Acosta 1990-10-18 00:00:00 2024-03-07 00:00:00 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ http://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=2 Least Concern (LC) , IUCN Grouper and Wrasse Specialist Group IUCN 2006 2006 IUCN red list of threatened species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded July 2006. FB-Habitat-70606 http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text text/html Estelita Emily Capuli 2024-06-05 00:00:00 2024-06-05 00:00:00 Environment http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ http://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=70606 reef-associated; marine