smooth puffer
Lagocephalus laevigatus (Linnaeus, 1766)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Lagocephalus laevigatus, known as the smooth puffer, is a species of pufferfish in the family Tetraodontidae. It is native to the Western Atlantic, where it ranges from New England to Argentina, as well as the Eastern Atlantic, where it ranges from Mauritania to Namibia. Adults of the species are pelagic and found near continental margins, whereas juveniles are usually found closer to shore or offshore banks, with both occurring either alone or in small, loose groups. It occurs at a depth range of 10 to 180 m (33 to 591 ft) over sandy or muddy bottoms and is a very large pufferfish, reaching 100 cm (39.4 inches) in total length. The species feeds on fish and shrimp and can be dangerously toxic if ingested. It is known to be oviparous. It is sometimes confused with the related species Lagocephalus inermis which is native to the Indo-Pacific.
Wikipedia contributors, Lagocephalus laevigatus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:33:59.782056+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Lagocephalus laevigatus (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Common name
- smooth puffer
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Tetraodontiformes
- Family
- Tetraodontidae
- Genus
- Lagocephalus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderTetraodontiformes
- suborderTetraodontoidei
- familyTetraodontidae Bonaparte, 1831
- genusLagocephalus Swainson, 1839
- speciesLagocephalus laevigatus (Linnaeus, 1766)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Lagocephalus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Lagocephalus gloveri Abe & Tabeta, 1983 | TetraodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| smooth blaasopLagocephalus inermis (Temminck & Schlegel, 1850) | TetraodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lagocephalus spadiceus (Richardson, 1845) | TetraodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lagocephalus suezensis Clark & Gohar, 1953 | TetraodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Weeler's pufferfishLagocephalus wheeleri Abe, Tabeta & Kitahama, 1984 | TetraodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lagocephalus cheesemanii (Clarke, 1897) | TetraodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lagocephalus guentheri Miranda Ribeiro, 1915 | TetraodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| ocean pufferLagocephalus lagocephalus (Linnaeus, 1758) | TetraodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lagocephalus lunaris (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) | TetraodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| silverstripe blaasopLagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) | TetraodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Tetraodon laevigatus (Linnaeus, 1766) (Linnaeus, 1766) | synonym |
| Tetrodon laevigatus Linnaeus, 1766 Linnaeus, 1766 | synonym |
| Holocanthus melanothos Gronow, 1854 Gronow, 1854 | synonym |
| Lagocephalus pachycephalus Ranzani, 1839 Ranzani, 1839 | synonym |
| Tetrodon lineolatus Poey, 1868 Poey, 1868 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=158933 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3RX8R. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.