Northern Puffer

The northern puffer, Sphoeroides maculatus, is a species in the family Tetraodontidae, or pufferfishes, found along the Atlantic coast of North America. Unlike many other pufferfish species, the flesh of the northern puffer is not poisonous, although its viscera can contain poison, and high concentrations of toxins have been observed in the skin of Floridian populations. They are commonly called sugar toads in the Chesapeake Bay region, where they are eaten as a delicacy. There was widespread consumption of northern puffers during the rationing that accompanied the Second World War, establishing a commercial fishery that reached its zenith in the 1960s.

From Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Is it venomous or poisonous?

Considered poisonous. Public sources list it as such; we have not verified this individually. The note covers its whole genus. Puffers; tetrodotoxin Never eat, touch or handle a wild plant, mushroom or animal on the strength of an identification; ask someone qualified.

Easily confused with

• Sphoeroides nephelus — considered poisonous
• Sphoeroides parvus — considered poisonous
• Takifugu oblongus — poisonous
• Chelonodon kappa — poisonous
• Amblyrhynchote honckenii — poisonous

Classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Actinopterygii

Order

Tetraodontiformes

Family

Tetraodontidae

Genus

Sphoeroides

Species

Sphoeroides maculatus

More species