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Tetraodontiformes (Puffers and filefishes) >
Diodontidae (Porcupinefishes (burrfishes))
Etymology: Chilomycterus: Greek, cheilos = lip + Greek, mykter, -eros = nose (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Cuvier.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 2 - 13 m (Ref. 9710). Tropical
Western Atlantic: southeastern Florida, USA and the Bahamas to northern South America. Eastern Atlantic: off Mauritania (Ref. 5377).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 38.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26938)
Dorsal soft rays (total): 11 - 13; Anal soft rays: 11 - 12. Spines on head and body short, fixed, and with a fleshy sheath, those on sides and top of body more vertically erect; 10 to 12 spines in an approximate row from snout to dorsal fin; a long fleshy tentacle above eye; small black spots on head and body but not on fins (Ref. 13442).
Body shape (shape guide): short and / or deep.
Occurs usually on or near coral reefs (Ref. 7251). Rare, most often found from seagrass beds (Ref. 13442).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Lieske, E. and R. Myers, 1994. Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p. (Ref. 9710)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
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