Summary ⁷

Northern puffer, Sphoeroides maculatus, is a species in the family Tetraodontidae, or pufferfishes. They are commonly called sugar toads in the Chesapeake Bay region, where they are eaten as a delicacy.

Biology ⁸

Inhabits bays, estuaries and protected coastal waters. Sold as `sea squab' in northern part of range. Feeds primarily on shellfish, occasionally on finfish. Reportedly non-toxic.

National distribution ⁹

United States

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Morphology ¹⁰

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8; Analspines: 0; Analsoft rays: 7

Size ¹¹

Maximum size: 360 mm TL

Diagnostic description ¹²

Upper side grey or brown with poorly defined black spots and saddles. Belly yellow to white. Tiny jet-black pepper spots (about 1 mm in diameter) scattered over most of pigmented surface, particularly evident on cheeks. Lower sides with a row of black, elongate, bar-like markings. No lappets on head or body (Ref 53033).

Habitat ¹³

Habitat Type: Marine

Comments: Bays, estuaries, and protected coastal waters (Robins and Ray 1986).

Diet ¹⁴

Feeds primarily on shellfish and, more rarely, finfish

Reproduction ¹⁵

Puffers spawn close to the shore starting in May and early June through the summer. Eggs are about 0.9 mm in diameter, have many small oil globules, and are very sticky. Incubation takes 3 to 5 days at 20 °C. The larvae are about 2.4 mm long at hatching. In 3 days the mouth functions, and when they are 7 mm long the young fish show most of the diagnostic characters of the adults, and can inflate themselves.

Link to Access Genomic Data ¹⁶

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=482916&lvl=0

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Cliff, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://www.flickr.com/photos/28567825@N03/3148924923
2. (c) Cliff, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Northern_Puffer_in_aquarium.jpg
3. (c) FAO, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://d1iraxgbwuhpbw.cloudfront.net/images/species/spmac_u0.gif
4. (c) Raredon, Sandra J., some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=fishes&irn=10334566
5. (c) Raredon, Sandra J., some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=fishes&irn=10334304
6. (c) Cliff, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Northern_Puffer_%28Sphoeroides_maculatus%29.jpg
7. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphoeroides_maculatus
8. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) FishBase, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/20915184
9. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28812125
10. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) FishBase, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/20915186
11. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) FishWise Professional, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/24189000
12. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) FishBase, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/20915185
13. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28812127
14. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) WoRMS for SMEBD, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/28476826
15. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Gulf of Maine - CoML, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/8081289
16. (c) matbio, all rights reserved

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• FishBase
• FishSource
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• VertNet
• World Register of Marine Species

Range Map

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