Spotfin Porcupinefish, Chilomycterus reticulatus (Linnaeus 1758)

Other Names: Few-spined Porcupine-fish, Spotfin Burrfish, Spottedfin Burrfish

A Spotfin Porcupinefish, Chilomycterus reticulatus, in Swansea Channel, New South Wales, September 2018. Source: @gina_mascord / iNaturalist.org. License: CC By Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:

A pale greyish to brown porcupinefish with small dark widely-spaced spots on the head, body and fins, and four diffuse dusky to brown bars, including from the eye running around the throat. The Spotfin Porcupinefish has short scattered non-movable spines scattered on the body, including one or two spines on the part of the caudal peduncle.
Pelagic juveniles are bluish with dark spots above that extend onto the belly.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2020, Chilomycterus reticulatus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 26 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/777

Spotfin Porcupinefish, Chilomycterus reticulatus (Linnaeus 1758)

More Info

Distribution	Broome to Cambridge Gulf , Western Australia, and the far northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, to at least Shellharbour, New South Wales; also Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere, the species is found worldwide in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate seas, usually at depths above 25 m. Inhabits coral and rocky reefs, and associated soft bottom areas. Juveniles are pelagic to about 20 cm SL, and may associate with floating algae.
Features	Dorsal fin 12-14; Anal fin 11-14; Caudal fin usually 10. Body spines widely-spaced with 3 or 4 roots and fixed in an erect position; one or 2 small spines wholly on dorsal surface of caudal peduncle; nasal organ of adults an open, ridged cup; no tentacles over eyes.
Size	Reaches a maximum total length of about 75 cm.
Feeding	Feeds on hard-shelled invertebrates, including large sea urchins..
Fisheries	The species is occasionally taken in trawl fisheries.
Etymology	The specific name is from the Latin reticulatus (having a net-like pattern).
Species Citation	Diodon reticulatus Linnaeus, 1758, Systema Naturae 1: 334. Type locality: India.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2020
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Spotfin Porcupinefish, Chilomycterus reticulatus (Linnaeus 1758)

References

Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls.

Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls.

Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.

Gloerfelt-Tarp, T. & Kailola, P.J. 1984. Trawled Fishes of Southern Indonesia and Northwest Australia. Jakarta : Dir. Gen. Fish. (Indonesia), German Tech. Coop., Aust. Dev. Ass. Bur. 406 pp.

Johnson, J.W. 2010. Fishes of the Moreton Bay Marine Park and adjacent continental shelf waters, Queensland, Australia. pp. 299-353 in Davie, P.J.F. & Phillips, J.A. Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Marine Biological Workshop, The Marine Fauna and Flora of Moreton Bay. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 54(3)

Kuiter, R.H. 1992. Tropical Reef-Fishes of the Western Pacific, Indonesia and Adjacent Waters. Jakarta : PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama 314 pp. pls.

Leis, J.M. 1986. Family No. 269: Diodontidae. pp. 903-907 in Smith, M.M. & Heemstra, P.C. (eds). Smith's Sea Fishes. Johannesburg : Macmillan South Africa xx + 1047 pp. 144 pls.

Leis, J.M. 2001. Diodontidae. pp. 3958-3965 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 6 pp. 3381-4218.

Leis, J.M. 2006. Nomenclature and distribution of the species of the Porcupinefish family Diodontidae (Pisces, Teleostei). Memoirs of Museum Victoria 63(1): 77-90

Leis, J.L., Matsuura, K., Shao, K.-T., Hardy, G., Zapfe, G., Liu, M., Jing, L., Robertson, R. & Tyler, J. 2015. Chilomycterus reticulatus (errata version published in 2017). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T193752A115331266. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T193752A2271648.en. Downloaded on 03 August 2020.

Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per Regna tria Naturae, secundem Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Characteribus, Differentis, Synonymis, Locis. Tom.1, Editio decima, reformata. Holmiae : Laurentii Salvii 824 pp. See ref at BHL

Randall, J.E. 2005. Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press 707 pp.

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs.

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs.

Swainston, R. 2011. Swainston's Fishes of Australia: The complete illustrated guide. Camberwell, Victoria : Penguin Australia 836 pp.

Waite, E.R. 1900. Additions to the fish-fauna of Lord Howe Island. Records of the Australian Museum 3(7): 193-209 figs 1-2 pls 34-36 (described as Euchilomycterus quadradicatus)