Author: Bennett, 1831

Ephippion guttiferum Bennett, 1831

Diagnosis: upper lateral line not reaching end of tail, curving down above anal and meeting lower lateral line. Bony plates on back. Sides with spines, also on throat and anterior part of abdomen in adults. One nostril on each side of snout, each with 2 flaps. Dorsal finrays 9-11; anal finrays 8-10; caudal fin truncate or slightly concave. Colour: brown above, with white round spots; paler or white below. Size: to 50 cm SL.

Habitat: muddy bottoms, at 10-100 m. Food: crabs, echinoids and molluscs. Reproduction: no data.

Distribution: south-western Mediterranean (southern Spain, Algeria, Morocco). Once reported from the Bay of Biscay. Elsewhere Atlantic from Morocco to Angola.

Eggs, larvae and young stages. No data.
Otoliths (sagitta). No data.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Superclass Gnathostomata
Class Osteichthyes
Order Tetraodontiformes
Suborder Balistoidei
Family Tetraodontidae
Genus Ephippion
Species Ephippion guttiferum

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Synonym of Ephippion guttifer (Bennett, 1831)

Scientific synonyms and common names

Ephippion guttiferum Bennett, 1831

Synonyms:

Tetrodon guttifer Bennett, 1831a, Proc. zool. Soc. London: 148 ('Atlantic coast of North Africa'). Type: BMNH, apparently lost.
Tetrodon (Ephippion) guttifer: Pietschmann, 1913, Jb. nassau. Ver. Nat., Wiesbaden, 66: 185 (Cameroon).
Hemiconiatus guttifer: Fowler, 1936, 2: 1104, fig. 463 Dieuzeide et al., 1955: 356, fig.
Ephippion guttifer: Lozano Rey, 1952: 351, fig. 19, pl. 29 (fig. 1) Poll, 1959: 336, fig. 114.

Common names:

none

Dieuzeide, R.; Novella, M. (collab. J. Roland), 1953-1955. Catalogue des Poissons des Côtes algériennes. Bull. Stn Aquic. Pêch. Castiglione, I (n.s.), (4), 1952 [1953]: pp. 1-135, 73 fig. n. num.; II (n.s.), (5), 1953 [1954]: pp. 1-258, 135 fig. n. num.; III (n.s.), (6), 1954 [1955]: pp. 1-384, 202 fig. n. num.

Fowler, H. W. 1936. The Marine Fishes of West Africa, based on the collection of the American Museum Congo Expedition 1909-1915. Bull. am. Mus. nat. Hist., 70 (1), Jan. 21, 1936: pp. vii+1-606, fig. 1-275; (2), Nov. 18, 1936: pp. 607-1493, fig. 276-567.

Lozano y Rey, L. 1952. Peces fisoclistos, Subserie Toracicos. Mems R. Acad. Cienc. exact. fis. nat. Madr., ser.: Cien. nat., Primate parte, 14: pp. xv+1-378, fig. 1-20, pl. I-XXX; Segunda parte, 14: pp. 379-705, fig. 21-31, pl. XXI-LI.

Pietschmann, V. 1913. Fische des Wiesbadener Museum. Jb. nassau. Ver. Naturk., 66: 170-201, 2 pl.

Poll, M. 1959. Poissons. V. Téléostéens Acanthoptérygiens (2e partie). Rés. Sci. Expéd. océanogr. belg. Eaux côt. afr. Atlant. Sud (1948-1949), 4 (3B): 417 pp., 127 fig., 7 pl.

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