The Puffer Forum

Hey guys

Could someone please id my porcupine puffer which family/scientific name he is?
He comes from australia,victoria, port phillip bay.

Sorry about the pics there is an algae bloom.

Looks like a common Diodon holocanthus.
ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Marine/D_Holocanthus/

Thanks for your help, it still looks a bit different.....

Have you tried checking here:?

http://www.fishbase.org/NomenClature/Sc ... ackstep=-2

Still cant find it

Probably Diodon nicthemerus,

yellow very slender spines from what I can see, yellow eye margin, dark bars. Possible this one was caught in Southern Australia (central NSW or even more to the South)? EDIT: I just read the above post again and saw it indeed comes from Southern Australia.

Beware, many online pictures are wrong.
Beware 2, this is a subtropical species, not adequate for tropical tanks.

Sorry for asking, but since I am on a book on spiny puffers/diodontids (the marine puffers from the family tetraodontidae is already done), would you have some clear, large sized pictures for me?

PS:

This a Diodon nicthemerus in nature
http://www.flickr.com/photos/saspotato/3434494416/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/saspotato/3434495056/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/saspotato/3709627638/

Another real one (I am almost 100% sure the ID is right):
http://www.aquarium-photograph.com/photo/181.jpg

PPS (Sorry):

Could not resist to post two more pictures by Brian (whom I know by moray eel related Emails):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianmayes/4433107045/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianmayes/2104633258/

and one more by the photographer Saspotato:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/saspotato/4919951026/

Thanks heaps corvus for your help.

Yes the puffer comes from port phhilip bay victoria a temperate reef. (woolys reef)
It is housed out in the garage where the temp is kept low.
Would you like me to take more pics for you? what angles?

Cheers

Sounds good.
It would be nice if you could keep us updated on how the fish is doing and how it is kept from time to time, since this species is rare in aquariums, so we all possibly could learn something new. In addition there are some more Australian members here, who are certainly interested in their native puffers.

With regard to a picture: A clear sideshot would be superb!

Other than temperature, how will this puffer differ from the common aquarium species?

It's a different species than the "standard" D. holocanthus. Differences aside its appearance might be its behaviour, activity. Maybe also feeding, the D. nicthemerus (maybe we could call it Yellow spined porcupinepuffer or slender spined porcupinepuffer) in nature often appear to me as being generally more plump (well fed) that the average D. holocanthus. The average D. nicthemerus also gets a little larger than the average D. holocanthus, but not as large as D. lituratus or D. hystrix (these are also sometimes/often confused with D. holocanthus, especially when young). D. nicthemerus also has longer and more slender spines... very very spikey when blown up.

Pufferpunk wrote:Looks like a common Diodon holocanthus.

Duh... I need to stay out of the SW ID threads...

think the common name is a globe fish

sydney aquarium had one of them but only referered to it as a normal porcupine fish

Ill post the vid.. when I get a chance

Some more shots as requested by Corvus