''Chilomycterus spinosus'', sometimes known as the brown burrfish, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of burrfish in the family Diodontidae. It is native to the southwestern

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, where it ranges from

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, including the island of

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

. It is known to occur in both marine and

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...

environments, where it is typically found at a depth of 70 to 190 m (230 to 623 ft). The species reaches 28 cm (11 inches) in

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish ...

and can weigh up to at least 12.21 grams. Although ''

Chilomycterus mauretanicus ''Chilomycterus mauretanicus'', commonly known as the Guinean burrfish, is a species of burrfish in the family Diodontidae. It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean, where it ranges from the Canary Islands to Angola, as well as possibly Namibia ...

'', native to the eastern Atlantic, has historically been classified as a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of ''C. spinosus'', it is now considered by multiple sources to constitute a distinct and valid species.

References

spinosus Fish described in 1758 Fish of the Atlantic Ocean {{fish-stub