Porcupinefish

Extant genera The following genera are known: • Allomycterus McCulloch, 1921 • Chilomycterus Brisout de Barneville, 1846 • Cyclichthys Kaup, 1855 • Diodon Linnaeus, 1758 • Dicotylichthys Kaup, 1855 • Lophodiodon Fraser-Brunner, 1943 • Tragulichthys Whitley, 1931 Fossil genera '', an Eocene-aged fossil porcupinefish from Italy The following genera are known only from fossil remains: • †Eodiodon Casier, 1952 (Late Eocene of Belgium) • †Heptadiodon Bronn, 1855 (Early Eocene of Italy) • †Oligodiodon Sauvage, 1873 (Miocene of Austria & Italy) • †Prodiodon Ladanois, 1955 (Early Eocene of Italy) • †Progymnodon Dames, 1883 (mid-late Eocene of the United States and Romania) • †Pshekhadiodon Bannikov & Tyler, 1997 (Middle Eocene of the North Caucasus, Russia) • †Zignodon Tyler & Santini, 2002 (Early Eocene of Italy) == Characteristics ==

Porcupinefish are generally slow-moving. Some species are poisonous, having tetrodotoxin in their internal organs, such as the ovaries and liver. This neurotoxin is at least 1,200 times more potent than cyanide. The poison is produced by several types of bacteria obtained from the fish's diet. As a result of these three defenses, porcupinefish have few predators, though adults are sometimes preyed upon by sharks and orcas. Juveniles are also preyed on by Lysiosquillina maculata, tuna, and dolphins. == Relationship with humans ==

Consumption Porcupinefish are eaten as food fish and are an exotic delicacy in Cebu, Philippines, where they are called tagotongan. However, pufferfish can be dangerous to consume since they can cause tetrodotoxin poisoning. ==In popular culture==

The porcupine fish (as Diodon antennatus) is mentioned in Charles Darwin's account of his 1831–1836 trip around the world, The Voyage of the Beagle. He noted how the fish can swim quite well when inflated, though the altered buoyancy requires them to do so upside down. Darwin also mentioned: ==Gallery==

File:Pufferfish (Butete).jpg|A porcupinefish in an aquarium File:Porcupine fish.jpg|A dead porcupinefish with clearly visible spines on the shore File:Preserved porcupine fish at a lab.jpg|Preserved porcupine fish in a laboratory File:Porcupinefish1.jpg|A dead porcupinefish washed up on a beach File:Porcupinefish2.jpg|A dead porcupinefish File:Diodon nicthemerus - southern globefish - tokyosealifepark - 2019-1-8.webm|(video) Diodon nicthemerus swimming == See also ==