Spotbase burrfish

Also known as the yellowspotted burrfish.

Range

Red Sea to South Africa and east to southern Japan, the Philippines, Australia and New Caledonia. Also found around the Galapagos Islands and in the Mediterranean.^[1]

Description

Up to 34cm long with short, rigid spines over the body. The colouration of the body is dusky above and light below, the spines arising from contrasting spots (lighter above and darker below).

Diet

Feeds on hard-shelled invertebrates; molluscs, crustaceans and sea urchins.^[2]

Habitat

Found in coastal waters near and around reefs at depths of 3m – 90m. Lives in seagrass habitats and coastal slopes with sponges. It is usually found under rock or coral ledges during the day and is active during the night, generally being solitary in nature. Juveniles are pelagic.

Hazards

May be hazardous to humans in three ways:

• This fish has been associated with ciguatera poisoning.
• Like pufferfishes and boxfishes it concentrates tetrodotoxin within its body.
• The jaws are extremely strong and are capable of inflicting a severe bite.

References

1. ^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2007). "Cyclichthys spilostylus" in FishBase. 6 2007 version.
2. ^ Lieske, E. and Myers, R.F. (2004) Coral reef guide; Red Sea London, HarperCollins ISBN 0-00-715986-2