. Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission. Fisheries -- United States; Fish-culture -- United States. 298 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 113. Puffer (Spheroides maculatus Block and Schneider) Swellfish; Swell toad; Blower; Balloonfish; Bellowsfish; Globefish Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 1733. Description.—When not inflated the puffer is moderately elongate (about three times as long as deep) but not at all compressed, and tapers from abreast the gill opening to a moderately slender caudal peduncle in one direction and to a moderately rounded snout in the other. The very small
. Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission. Fisheries -- United States; Fish-culture -- United States. 298 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 113. Puffer (Spheroides maculatus Block and Schneider) Swellfish; Swell toad; Blower; Balloonfish; Bellowsfish; Globefish Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 1733. Description.—When not inflated the puffer is moderately elongate (about three times as long as deep) but not at all compressed, and tapers from abreast the gill opening to a moderately slender caudal peduncle in one direction and to a moderately rounded snout in the other. The very small mouth is situated at the tip of the snout as in the triggerfishes and filefishes. There are no true teeth but the bones of the upper and lower jaws form cutting edges, each divided in the middle by a suture, giving the appearance of two large incisors above and as many below. The gill opening is very small and set oblique, but its obliquity is just the reverse of that of the foolfish (p. 296)—that is, backward and downward. The eyes are set very high and are horizontally oval in outline. The skin is scaleless, but the sides of both head and body, the back from snout to dorsal fin, and the belly as. Fig. 138.—Puffer {Spheroides maculatus) far back as the vent are rough with small, stiff, close-set prickles. The soft dorsal is very short (7 rays), rhomboid in outline, about twice as high as long, and set far back close to the caudal peduncle, with the anal similar to it in shape and size (6 rays) and rising close behind it. There is no spiny dorsal. The caudal fin is of moderate size, slightly rounded, with angular corners. The pectorals are fan-shaped and are situated close behind the gill opening. There are no ventrals. The most interesting morphologic character of the puffer is its ability to inflate itself with air or water until the skin of the belly is stretched tight as a football and the fish is almost globular, and to deflate again at will, when the abdomen shrinks
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