Fish of the Sphoeroides genus of the Tetraodontidae (pufferfish or puffers) family of the Tetraodontiformes order of the Acanthopterygii superorder.
(Blunthead puffer. Photo © NOAA Photo Library. flickr.com/photos/noaaphotolib)
Blunthead puffer (Sphoeroides pachygaster) was first described in 1848 by the German zoologists Johannes Peter Müller (1801-1858) and Franz Hermann Troschel (1810-1882).
It inhabits the depth of 50-480 meters, usually 50-250 meters. It is a pelagic species. It prefers to swim close to the rocky, sandy and oozy bottom. The maximum recorded length is 40.5 cm; specimens up to 26 cm are more common. It feeds mainly on squids.
(Blunthead puffer. Photo © culture.teldap.tw)
It entered the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal. It is found in the southern part of the Adriatic Sea.
Names of blunthead puffer (Sphoeroides pachygaster) in other languages as follows:
Globo (Spanish), Pesce palla (talian), Glatter Kugelfisch (German), Četverozubka (Serbian, Croatian), Compère émoussé (French).