They are named for their ability to inflate themselves to several times their normal size by swallowing water or air when threatened; the same adaptation is found in the closely related porcupinefish, which have large conspicuous spines (unlike the small, almost sandpaper-like spines of puffer fish).
There are 185 known species of the family Tetraodontidae, of which 38 can be found in Japan.
Members of the Tetraodontidae family generally share the same shape and general characteristics.
This is of particular use in crushing the shells of mollusks and crustaceans.
Perhaps the most distinctive visible characteristic is the fact that Tetraodontidae can inflate their bodies with water when threatened.
puffernet.tripod.com /ap.html (583 words)
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Mouth small with ridges of teeth on the jaws which add up to form a kind of beak that always protrudes slightly; the beak consists of teeth that are fused.
The Tetraodontidae glide peacefully through the water and are very agile; they can also turn on the spot or swim backwards.
All Pufferfishes have a special extension of the stomach which spreads to below the skin of the breast and belly areas; when danger threatens, it can be filled with water or air, and at the same time, the spines become erect.
They get their name from the large numbers of spines that cover their body.
The preparation of them for eating is a highly skilled job, and if they are not prepared correctly deaths will result, and about 100 diners die each year from eating this dish.
The Pufferfish (Tetraodontidae): The Pufferfish that comprise the Tetraodontidae Family are normally covered with spines and they have the ability to blow themselves up like balloons which is presumably a defense mechanism.
Globally there have been 121 species of Tetraodontidae identified of which nine are found in the Sea of Cortez.
The members of the Pufferfish Family represented in the fish identification section of this website include: the Balloonfish or Barred Porcupinefish, Diodon holocanthus; Bullseye Puffer or Concentric Puffer, Sphoeroides annulatus; Guineafowl Puffer, Arothron meleagris; Longnose Puffer or Lobeskin Puffer, Sphoeroides lobatus; and Spotted Porcupinefish or Spotfin Porcupinefish, Diodon hystrix.
Gladstone, W. The eggs and larvae of the sharpnose pufferfish Canthigaster valentini (Pisces: Tetraodontidae) are unpalatable to other reef fish.
Gladstone, W. The courtship and spawning behaviors of Canthigaster valentini (Tetraodontidae).
Gladstone, W. Role of female territoriality in social and mating systems of Canthigaster valentini (Pisces: Tetraodontidae): evidence from field experiments.
The hydrodynamic trails of Lepomis gibbosus (Centrarchidae), Colomesus psittacus (Tetraodontidae) and Thysochromis ansorgii (Cichlidae) investigated with scanning particle image velocimetry -- Hanke and Bleckmann 207 (9): 1585 -- Journal of Experimental Biology
Articles by Hanke, W. Articles by Bleckmann, H. The hydrodynamic trails of Lepomis gibbosus (Centrarchidae), Colomesus psittacus (Tetraodontidae) and Thysochromis ansorgii (Cichlidae) investigated with scanning particle image velocimetry
The hydrodynamic trails of fish belonging to the families Centrarchidae, Tetraodontidae
James C. Tyler Publications(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-11)
1979b New genus and species of pufferfish (Tetraodontidae) from Norfolk Island, southwest Pacific.
1992e A new species of Sphoeroides pufferfish (Teleostei: Tetraodontidae) with extensive hyperostosis from the Pliocene of North Carolina.
1994b A new genus of fossil pufferfish (Tetraodontidae;Tetraodontiformes) based on a new species from the Oligocene of Russia and a referred species from the Miocene of Ukraine.
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The Tetraodontidae or Pufferfish family is distributed world-wide in tropical regions ofmarine, brackish, and freshwater habitats, although most occur in sea water.
Pufferfish are so named, for their abilityto inflate with air and water to a size too large to be swallowed.
