Banded Toby

Canthigaster valentini (Bleeker)

The ventral portion of A 2β is expanded ventrally to almost completely cover A 3 laterally. The obliquus posterior is well developed, with some slight intermingling of fibers with adductor V at its site of attachment to ceratobranchial 5. The hypochordal longitudinalis inserts on rays D 2–4.

Myological Descriptions of Representative Diodontids

In his review, Fraser-Brunner (1943) recognized three genera and about 18 species of diodontids (see Figure 10 for body outline). Representatives of two of these genera have been dissected. They are much like the tetraodontids, but covered with spines. The head is broad and flat, and their inflation capabilities often impressive. The jaws are even better developed than in the two preceding families, and the diet is primarily composed of gastropods, hermit crabs, and echinoids. They occur mainly in coral reef and sandy bay environments, and swim almost exclusively by undulations of the well-developed pectoral fins.

Diodontids are usually considered to be closely related to tetraodontids, although they have occasionally been allied with the Molidae.