Sphoeroides testudineus ';
General information
 
Sphoeroides testudineus (Linnaeus, 1758)
 
 
Common nameCheckered puffer, Puffer
Synonyms
Tetraodon testudineus Linnaeus, 1758
Sphaeroides testudineus (Linnaeus, 1758)
IUCN Red List status (2014)
Not Reported
Habitat
Saltwater
Systematics
Eukaryota; Metazoa; Chordata; Craniata; Vertebrata; Euteleostomi; Actinopterygii; Neopterygii; Teleostei; Neoteleostei; Acanthomorphata; Percomorpharia; Tetraodontiformes; Tetraodontidae.
Geographical distribution
USA; Mexico; Brazil; Colombia; Venezuela; Guyana; Suriname; French Guiana; Panama; Cuba; Jamaica; Puerto Rico; Costa Rica; Nicaragua; Haiti; Dominican Republic; Guatemala; Honduras; Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Aruba; Bahamas; Barbados; Belize; Bermuda; British Virgin Islands; Cayman Islands; Curaçao Island; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Martinique; Montserrat; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Trinidad and Tobago; Turks and Caicos Islands; Virgin Islands (USA)
Occurrence Native: USA, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Panama, Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao Island, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands (USA)
Importance
Ornamental
Remarks
It can be highly toxic as a result of tetrodotoxins and saxitoxins in their bodies
Karyological information
Geographical area of study Rio Grande do Norte coast, Brazil
Source of chromosomes
Not reported
Number of specimens with sex
15
Diploid chromosome number
46
Karyotype formula
Not reported
Fundamental arm number
Chromosome length
Not reported
Sex chromosome
Not detected
Chromosome staining/banding/FISH
Ag-NORs localized on the 1st chromosome pair in telomeric position, C-bands centromeric on most of the chromosomes.
Reference(s)
Gustavo SGL, Molina WF (2005). Karyotype Diversification in Fishes of the Balistidae, Diodontidae and Tetraodontidae (Tetraodontiformes). Caryologia, 58(3): 229-237.
Karyotype /Metaphase complement image