Diodon holocanthus Linnaeus, 1758

Leis, Jeffrey M., 2006, Nomenclature and distribution of the species of the porcupinefish family Diodontidae (Pisces, Teleostei), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 63 (1), pp. 77-90 : 87-88

Diodon holocanthus Linnaeus, 1758

Diodon paraholocanthus, Kotthaus, 1979: 39 , fig. 492 (Bab-el- Mandeb, southern Red Sea)*

*extant type

Kotthaus (1979, ref. 8818) confused Diodon liturosus Shaw with Diodon holocanthus Linnaeus , as is obvious from his description and photograph (his fig. 491) of what he called D. holocanthus . Then, having encountered the true D. holocanthus in the north-western Indian Ocean, he described it as a new species, D. paraholocanthus . The description and photo (his fig. 492) of the holotype are entirely consistent with D. holocanthus Linnaeus.

Leis (1978) examined 141 specimens of D. holocanthus Linnaeus (1758, ref. 2787) from all warm oceans. I have now seen more than 100 additional lots that extend the known distribution of the species (see below). It is noteworthy that there are still no records of D. holocanthus from the Pacific Plate other than those reported by Leis (1978): Hawaii, Easter and Pitcarin Is. Reference in Robertson et al. (2004) and Mundy (2005, ref. 28379) to D. holocanthus occurring in the Line Is. is incorrect (B.C. Mundy, personal communication).

Distribution. Circumtropical in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans (except only peripherally on Pacific Plate).

W Indian – from Cape of Good Hope, South Africa to Oman and Red Sea, Sri Lanka, Mascarenes, and Seychelles.

E Indian – Andaman Sea to Australia

W Pacific – west of Pacific Plate: Japan to New Caledonia and Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs, Tasman Sea.

In Australia, south to Ulladulla, NSW (36 oS) off east coast, and to Freemantle, WA (32 oS) off west coast. Central Pacific – Hawaii, Easter and Pitcarin Is. only. E Pacific – southern California to Colombia W Atlantic – Hudson Canyon (off New Jersey) to Argentina. E Atlantic – Liberia and Nigeria to northern Angola.