MadeiraFish

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Common name Nome comum Scientific name

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Scientific name: Sphoeroides pachygaster Nome comum: Peixe-balão; Sapo do alto Common name: Blunthead puffer Classification: CHORDATA > ACTINOPTERYGII > Tetraodontiformes > Tetraodontidae Description: A completely smooth pufferfish. Brown dorsally; white on the ventral side of the body. Global Distribution: Circumglobal in tropical, subtropical and temperate seas. BIOLOGICAL FEATURES Size: Maximum length 40.5 cm (standard length); common length 26.0 cm (total length). Age: Weight length rel.: Spain, south-west coast (Torres et al. 2012): a=0.0172, b=3.016, r2=0.97 (n=10). FishBase: Bayesian estimated length-weight: a=0.03020 (0.01563 - 0.05837), b=2.92 (2.75 - 3.09). Growth type: Isometric (Torres et al. 2012). von Bertallanfy growth parameters: Reproduction: A total spawner with a prolonged reproductive period with variable seasonal peaks. Fecundity is high, estimated at 1540.5 × 103 (in the Mediterranean). Maturity: Behavioural ecology: Population structure & migrations: Mitochondrial DNA analysis of specimens from Portugal and Australia showed little or no genetic differentiation. ECOLOGICAL FEATURES Depth range: FishBase: 50 - 480 m, usually 50 - 250 m. Habitat: Benthopelagic. Inhabit sandy, muddy and rocky bottoms. Young are pelagic. Feeding habits: Feeds mainly on squids. Trophic level: FishBase: 4.2 FISHERIES Commercial interest: Not commercial. Conservation status: Global: Not evaluated. Europe: Least concern. Nutritional information & food safety: Health warning: potentially venomous. REFERENCES Froese, R., Pauly D., editors (2011) .FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, (07/2014). www.fishbase.org/summary/Sphoeroides-pachygaster.html Hureau J.-C., ed. (1984-1985). Fishes of the North-Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. UNESCO. Accessed through: Marine Species Identification Portal. World Wide Web electronic publication. http://species-identification.org (2014). IUCN (2014). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. www.iucnredlist.org Nieto A., Ralph G.M., Comeros-Raynal M.T., Kemp J., García Criado M., Allen D.J., Dulvy N.K., Walls R.H.L., Russell B., Pollard D., García S., Craig M., Collette B.B., Pollom R., Biscoito M., Labbish Chao N., Abella A., Afonso P., Álvarez H., Carpenter K.E., Clò S., Cook R., Costa M.J., Delgado J., Dureuil M., Ellis J.R., Farrell E.D., Fernandes P., Florin A-B., Fordham S., Fowle, S., Gil de Sola L., Gil Herrera J., Goodpaster A., Harvey M., Heessen H., Herler J., Jung A., Karmovskaya E., Keskin C., Knudsen S.W., Kobyliansky S., Kovačić M., Lawson J.M., Lorance P., McCully Phillips S., Munroe T., Nedreaas K., Nielsen J., Papaconstantinou C., Polidoro B., Pollock C.M., Rijnsdorp A.D., Sayer C., Scott J., Serena F., Smith-Vaniz W.F., Soldo A., Stump E., Williams J.T. (2015). Europen Red List of Marine Fishes. IUCN and European Union, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 90 pp. Ragonese, S., Caltagirone, P., & Jereb, P. (2001). Observations on reproduction and fecundity of Sphoeroides pachygaster (Pisces–Tetraodontidae) from the Sicilian channel (Mediterranean Sea). Rapp Comm Int Mer Médit, 36: 313. Torres M.A., Ramos F., Sobrino I. (2012). Length–weight relationships of 76 fish species from the Gulf of Cadiz (SW Spain). Fisheries Research, 127: 171-175. Ward R.D., Costa F.O., Holmes B.H., Steinke D. (2008). DNA barcoding of shared fish species from the North Atlantic and Australasia: minimal divergence for most taxa, but Zeus faber and Lepidopus caudatus each probably constitute two species. Aquatic Biology, 3(1): 71-78.