pygmy puffer
Sphoeroides trichocephalus (Cope, 1870)
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
Sphoeroides trichocephalus, the pygmy puffer, is a species of marine pufferfish native to the Central American coast of the Pacific Ocean, and can be found from La Serena, Chile to San Carlos, Mexico. S. trichocephalus are a demersal species, commonly found on soft substrates in shallow bays and coves at depths between 1–10 m (3.3–32.8 ft). This species grows to a maximum total length (TL) of 10.5 cm (4.1 in). They are not widely utilized by humans but may be found in markets sold as a food fish. They are likely taken as bycatch in trawl fisheries and discarded.
There are presently no conservation efforts put in place for this species, as they are classified as least concern on the IUCN Red List with no known threats, though they may be found in marine protected areas.
Wikipedia contributors, Sphoeroides trichocephalus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:57:41.893142+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Sphoeroides trichocephalus (Cope, 1870)
- Name authority
- (Cope, 1870)
- Common name
- pygmy puffer
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Tetraodontiformes
- Family
- Tetraodontidae
- Genus
- Sphoeroides
- 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
- genusSphoeroides Anonymous [Lacepède], 1798
- speciesSphoeroides trichocephalus (Cope, 1870)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Sphoeroides. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Sphoeroides andersonianus Morrow, 1957 | TetraodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| bullseye pufferSphoeroides annulatus (Jenyns, 1842) | TetraodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sphoeroides greeleyi Gilbert, 1900 | TetraodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sphoeroides kendalli Meek & Hildebrand, 1928 | TetraodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| naked pufferSphoeroides lispus Walker, 1996 | TetraodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| longnose pufferSphoeroides lobatus (Steindachner, 1870) | TetraodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| blunthead pufferSphoeroides pachygaster (Müller & Troschel, 1848) | TetraodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| least pufferSphoeroides parvus Shipp & Yerger, 1969 | TetraodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Peruvian pufferSphoeroides sechurae Hildebrand, 1946 | TetraodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| checkered pufferSphoeroides testudineus (Linnaeus, 1758) | TetraodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sphoeroides yergeri Shipp, 1972 | TetraodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sphoeroides ocellatus | 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 fuerthii Steindachner, 1876 Steindachner, 1876 | synonym |
| Tetrodon fürthii Steindachner, 1876 Steindachner, 1876 | synonym |
| Sphoeroides tricocephalus (Cope, 1870) (Cope, 1870) | synonym |
| Tetraodon trichocephalus Cope, 1870 Cope, 1870 | synonym |
| Sphoeroides fuerthii (Steindachner, 1876) (Steindachner, 1876) | synonym |
| Tetrodon fuerthii Steindachner, 1876 Steindachner, 1876 | 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=275285 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:4Z2GW. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.