Porcupinefishハリセンボン

Diodon holocanthusLC— Least Concern

The long-spine porcupinefish (Diodon holocanthus), known in Japan as harisenbon, is a reef fish found in tropical and subtropical waters worldwide, reaching about 40-50 cm long. When threatened, it gulps water to inflate its body, causing its normally flattened spines to stand erect and deter predators. It hunts hard-shelled prey such as mollusks, sea urchins, and crabs at night, crushing them with fused, beak-like teeth, and is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

Porcupinefish (reference photo)
Photo: Diego Delso / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Source / cropped

Species Data

Classification
Tetraodontiformes / Diodontidae Source
Distribution
Circumtropical, occurring across the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, from Florida and the Bahamas to Brazil in the western Atlantic and across tropical regions worldwide. Source

Did You Know?

  • When threatened, it gulps water or air to inflate its body; its normally flattened spines then stand erect, both deterring predators and making it look larger. Source
  • A survey of about a thousand individuals found an average of 369 spines per fish. Source
  • Spawning occurs at the surface at dawn or dusk, either in pairs or in groups of several males with a single female. Source

Where to See This Species

4 facilities · 0 individuals

奥飛騨クマ牧場 (Okuhidakumabokujou)Gifu岐阜県高山市奥飛騨温泉郷一重ヶ根2535。

奥飛騨クマ牧場のWikipedia記事に飼育種として記載 Source

Osaka Aquarium KaiyukanOsakaOpened in 1990

海遊館のWikipedia記事に飼育種として記載 Source

京都水族館 (Kyouto Suizokukan)KyotoJR「京都」駅中央口から徒歩約15分。

京都水族館のWikipedia記事に飼育種として記載 Source

長崎ペンギン水族館 (Nagasakipengin Suizokukan)NagasakiOpened in 2001

長崎ペンギン水族館のWikipedia記事に飼育種として記載 Source

Conservation Story

Conservation Status

IUCNレッドリストではLC。沿岸環境の劣化と混獲が保全上の課題となる。

Habitat

熱帯から亜熱帯の浅海、サンゴ礁や岩礁。

Threats

  • 沿岸環境の劣化と混獲

Conservation & Breeding Efforts

  • 生息地の保全と個体群の継続的な把握
  • ふくらんだ体ではなく、普段の丸い体形と大きな目を観察できる点が水槽展示の魅力である。

Sources

ja.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

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FAQ

How does a porcupinefish inflate itself?
It gulps water (or air, out of water) into its stomach, which causes its body to balloon outward and its spines to stand erect. Source
What does the porcupinefish eat?
It preys on hard-shelled bottom-dwelling animals such as mollusks, sea urchins, hermit crabs, and crabs, crushing them with its beak-like fused teeth. Source
How many spines does a porcupinefish have?
A survey of roughly a thousand individuals found an average of 369 spines per fish. Source

Source: ja.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org