참복科(복어目) 魚類 頭蓋骨의 특징

Generic characters of cranium of the family tetraodontidae fishes (teleostei: tetraodontiformes)

Twenty eight species of pufferfishes(Family Tetraodontidae) have been examined to find their generic characters based on cranium characters of specimens which were collected at the 20 localities along the coast of Korea from March, 1991 to March, 1994. The Genus Canthigaster has different characters of cranium, therefore it should be included in the Subfamily rank. The cranium of pufferfishes was consisted of 13 bones, which was different from common osteichthyes ones because puffefishes didn’t have a parietal, basisphenoid, orbitosphenoid and narsal. Takifugu pardalis has two small-orbicular processes on the bottom edge of its large parasphenoid. Lagocephalus inermis differs from the other four congeneric species, since it showed different synapomorphic characters of the frontal and pterotic. Takifugu, Lagocephalus, Pleurancanthus, Chelonodon, Ephippion and Feroxodon had the common character which was a well-developed dorsal flange of parasphenoid in interorbital septum.