We verified pre-settlement Sphoeroides spengleri (Bandtail Puffer) larvae by genetic sequencing and herein describe their morphology and pigmentation. The lead author collected the specimens on a North Carolina beach among stranded Sargassum, which may represent the first record of this species in the Sargassum community along the Mid-Atlantic Bight. Cleared and stained specimens exhibited a declivitous vertebral column that has been reported in few other members of the Tetraodontiformes.
Description of the Pre-Settlement Larvae of Sphoeroides spengleri (Pisces: Tetraodontidae)
| Title | Description of the Pre-Settlement Larvae of Sphoeroides spengleri (Pisces: Tetraodontidae) |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2023 |
| Authors | Schmidt, RE, Wright, JJ, McMullin, ER |
| Journal | Southeastern Naturalist |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pagination | N52-N57 |
| Date Published | Jan-07-2023 |
| Abstract | |
| URL | https://bioone.org/journals/southeastern-naturalist/volume-22/issue-3/058.022.0307/Description-of-the-Pre-Settlement-Larvae-of-Sphoeroides-spengleri-Pisces/10.1656/058.022.0307.short |
| DOI | 10.1656/058.022.0307 |
| Short Title | Southeastern Naturalist |
