Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory (HURL), Hawaii, USA
Info
Sphoeroides pachygaster is a relatively deep-dwelling species that occurs in a variety of habitats, including on the continental shelf, in submarine canyons and in association with seamounts.
Sphoeroides pachygaster was first reported from the Mediterranean in the mid-1990s, where the pufferfish has since become established
The adults are oriented towards the benthos, while the juveniles live in the pelagic water column
As an adult fish, it is known to colonize sandy, muddy and rocky bottoms.
Sphoeroides pachygaster feeds mainly on squid, cuttlefish and octopus, but also appears to eat small bony fish occasionally
Caution:
This species is slightly poisonous (Noguchi and Arakawa 2008). In the Mediterranean it is considered non-toxic (Ragonese and Morara 2012).
Little is known about the fecundity, spawning season or other life history aspects of this species.
However, there are also other scientific findings according to which the skin of this pufferfish is described as very poisonous, with exceptions proving the rule.
Synonyms:
Fugu sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) · unaccepted
Gastrophysis sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) · unaccepted (misspelling)
Gastrophysus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) · unaccepted
Gastrophysus scleratus (Gmelin, 1789) · unaccepted (misspelling)
Lagocephalus scleratus (Gmelin, 1789) · unaccepted (misspelling)
Lagocephalus scleratus Gmelin, 1789 · unaccepted (misspelling)
Pleudranacanthus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) · unaccepted (misspelling)
Pleuranacanthus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) · unaccepted
Spheroides sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) · unaccepted (misspelling)
Sphoeroides sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) · unaccepted
Sphoeroides scleratus (Gmelin, 1789) · unaccepted (misspelling)
Tetraodon bicolor Brevoort, 1856 · unaccepted
Tetraodon blochii Castelnau, 1861 · unaccepted
Tetraodon sceleratus Gmelin, 1789 · unaccepted (synonym)
Tetrodon sceleratus Gmelin, 1789 · unaccepted (misspelling)
Puffer fish can produce toxins such as tetrodotoxin and saxitoxin and accumulate them in the skin, gonads and liver.
The toxin tetrodotoxin, which is contained in the fugu, is 1000 times more toxic than cyanide and there is no antidote serum, death then occurs by respiratory paralysis
The degree of toxicity varies depending on the species, but also on the geographical area and season.
We recommend that you never prepare puffer fish yourself, as the risk of fatal poisoning is far too great.
If you still absolutely want to eat puffer fish meat (fugu), then the fish should only be slaughtered by a Japanese special chef with a license and several years of training.
Only the training of these special chefs can guarantee the correct slaughter, complete removal and proper disposal of all toxic parts of the fish.
Sphoeroides pachygaster was first reported from the Mediterranean in the mid-1990s, where the pufferfish has since become established
The adults are oriented towards the benthos, while the juveniles live in the pelagic water column
As an adult fish, it is known to colonize sandy, muddy and rocky bottoms.
Sphoeroides pachygaster feeds mainly on squid, cuttlefish and octopus, but also appears to eat small bony fish occasionally
Caution:
This species is slightly poisonous (Noguchi and Arakawa 2008). In the Mediterranean it is considered non-toxic (Ragonese and Morara 2012).
Little is known about the fecundity, spawning season or other life history aspects of this species.
However, there are also other scientific findings according to which the skin of this pufferfish is described as very poisonous, with exceptions proving the rule.
Synonyms:
Fugu sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) · unaccepted
Gastrophysis sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) · unaccepted (misspelling)
Gastrophysus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) · unaccepted
Gastrophysus scleratus (Gmelin, 1789) · unaccepted (misspelling)
Lagocephalus scleratus (Gmelin, 1789) · unaccepted (misspelling)
Lagocephalus scleratus Gmelin, 1789 · unaccepted (misspelling)
Pleudranacanthus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) · unaccepted (misspelling)
Pleuranacanthus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) · unaccepted
Spheroides sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) · unaccepted (misspelling)
Sphoeroides sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) · unaccepted
Sphoeroides scleratus (Gmelin, 1789) · unaccepted (misspelling)
Tetraodon bicolor Brevoort, 1856 · unaccepted
Tetraodon blochii Castelnau, 1861 · unaccepted
Tetraodon sceleratus Gmelin, 1789 · unaccepted (synonym)
Tetrodon sceleratus Gmelin, 1789 · unaccepted (misspelling)
Puffer fish can produce toxins such as tetrodotoxin and saxitoxin and accumulate them in the skin, gonads and liver.
The toxin tetrodotoxin, which is contained in the fugu, is 1000 times more toxic than cyanide and there is no antidote serum, death then occurs by respiratory paralysis
The degree of toxicity varies depending on the species, but also on the geographical area and season.
We recommend that you never prepare puffer fish yourself, as the risk of fatal poisoning is far too great.
If you still absolutely want to eat puffer fish meat (fugu), then the fish should only be slaughtered by a Japanese special chef with a license and several years of training.
Only the training of these special chefs can guarantee the correct slaughter, complete removal and proper disposal of all toxic parts of the fish.
