Higher classification Porcupinefish | Phylum Chordata Family Diodontidae Scientific name Diodon nichthemerus Rank Species | |
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Similar Porcupinefish, Diodon, Black‑blotched porcupinefish, Diodon eydouxii, Tetraodontiformes | ||
Menacing slender spined porcupine fish
The slender-spined porcupine fish or globefish, Diodon nichthemerus, is a porcupinefish of the family Diodontidae, found in the waters of southern Australia, as far north as Port Jackson to Geraldton, Western Australia. It is most common in Port Phillip Bay and the coastal waters of Tasmania in shallow coastal waters and under manmade jettys.
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It is one of the smallest members of the porcupinefish family. It is similar in appearance to the three-bar porcupinefish (Dicotylichthys punctulatus), only smaller (growing to a maximum length of 28 cm) and with slight differences in its markings. It feeds on benthic zone invertebrates. It has slender yellow spines used in predator defence and has the ability to blow its body so its sharp spines protrude when alarmed.