Checkered Puffer

The checkered puffer, Sphoeroides testudineus, is one of several fish species belonging to the family Tetradontidae, meaning "four teeth". Puffers have four tooth plates arranged in quadrants, with two teeth on the bottom and two on the top (Carpenter 2002). These teeth form a strong, heavy beak capable of cracking through hard prey such as mollusks and crustaceans, as well as sipunculids, tunicates, seagrass and detritus. Puffers are named for their ability to swell by swallowing water or air when threatened. They have no spinous dorsal fin, absent or reduced scales, sandpapery denticles on various areas of the body, and a reduced gill opening. Identification of species is determined in part through color, pattern, and the presence and number of spines and fleshy tabs, or lappets, on the skin (Robins & Ray 1986).

The checkered puffer ranges from Rhode Island to Florida, Bermuda, and the southeast Gulf of Mexico to the southeastern coasts of Brazil (Robins & Ray 1986). It is common in bays, seagrass beds, tidal creeks, mangrove swamps, and into freshwater areas (Figueiredo & Menezes 2000).

The checkered puffer is distributed throughout the IRL. Most populations are found in association with seagrass beds and mangroves, although some individuals occur in rocky intertidal and hardbottom areas as well.

Information concerning the maximum age and average lifespan of S. testudineus is lacking. Growth rates vary with environmental conditions, food availability and other factors. The maximum reported size for the checkered puffer is 30 cm (Robins & Ray 1986), but most specimens are much smaller.

Little information is available on the abundance of S. testudineus. However, it is a common species found in many estuarine habitats. Juveniles are frequently caught in seagrass beds and around mangrove roots. The checkered puffer is listed as one of eight dominant fish species in coastal waters of Yucatán, Mexico (Vega-Cendejas & de Santillana 2004).