Back to Completed Reports List

Species Name: 
Chilomycterus schoepfii Walbaum, 1792

Common Name(s):
Striped Burrfish; Porcupinefish

Synonymy:
Chilomycterus schoepfi Walbaum, 1792 Diodon schoepfii Walbaum, 1792

Species Description:
The striped burrfish, Chilomycterus schoepfii, a member of the family Diodontidae, is striking in its appearance. The body is light tan to yellow-brown above and white to yellowish and sometimes blackish below, and is covered with fixed and erect spines that give the animal a pincushion appearance as well as the name burrfish. Dark, wavy and roughly parallel lines cover the sides of the body. Most specimens also have large dark spots above and behind the pectoral fins and at the base of the dorsal fin. Ray counts are as follows: dorsal = 12; anal = 10 (Hoese and Moore 1977, Robbins et al. 1986).

Thrust in C. schoepfii and other tetraodontiform fishes is produced through the coordinated action of the pectoral, dorsal, anal, and caudal fins (Arreola and Westneat 1996), in contrast to typical pisciform locomotion which Is accomplished primarily via flexion of the body and caudal fin.

Potentially Misidentified Species:
The burrfish or spiny puffers that make up the diodontid family are easily distinguished from other tetraodontiform fishes by the presence of conspicuous body spines. Within the family, the striped burrfish is distinguishable from other burrfish by its color pattern and its fixed erect spines; other diodontids in the region have spines that fold back against the body when the animal is not inflated (Hoese and Moore 1977).

II.  HABITAT AND DISTRIBUTION 

Regional Occurrence:
Chilomycterus schoepfii can be found as far north as Maine and Nova Scotia, although it is uncommon north of North Carolina. To the south, it occurs throughout the Florida coast and further south to Brazil. It is common in the Gulf of Mexico and less common in the Bahamas and West Indies (Breder 1922, Schwartz 1960, 1964b, Robbins et al. 1986, Monteleone 1992).

IRL Distribution:
The Florida distribution of the striped burrfish includes the entire IRL system.

III. LIFE HISTORY AND POPULATION BIOLOGY

Age, Size, Lifespan:
Individuals can grow to reach a body length of 25 cm (Robbins et al. 1986).

Abundance:
Robbins et al. (1986) note that striped burrfish are very common in seagrass beds in bays and coastal lagoons.

Reproduction:
Information on courtship and spawning in Chilomycterus schoepfii is scarce, but published work detailing the spawning behavior of the diodontid Diodon holacanthus indicates spawning in the family may be nocturnal.

Spawning is thought to occur offshore but supporting evidence is lacking (Maryland DNR undated).

Embryology:
Developmental details are sparse for this species. Whereas the eggs of some diodontids (e.g., of genus Diodon) ar pelagic and buoyant, those of Chilomycterus schoepfii are demersal but non-adhesive (Thresher 1984).