Florent's Guide To The

Hawaiian Reefs

Balloonfish
Diodon holocanthus
Balloonfish
Also known as: Long-Spine Porcupinefish, Spiny Balloonfish, Freckled Porcupinefish
Category: Porcupinefishes
Scientific Name: Diodon holocanthus
Size: 8 to 14 in. (20 to 35 cm)  
Depth: 6-100 ft. (2-30 m)
Distribution: Bermuda, Brazil, Caribbean, Florida, Hawaii, Indo-Pacific, Pacific Coast of Mexico to Panama, Gulf of California, Gulf of America
Chordata (Phylum) Chordates
└Vertebrata (Subphylum) Vertebrates
 └Osteichthyes (Parvphylum) Bony Fishes
  └Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) Ray-Finned Fish
   └Teleostei (Class) Teleosts
    └Tetraodontiformes (Order)
     └Tetraodontoidei (Suborder)
      └Diodontidae (Family) Porcupinefishes
       └Diodon (Genus)
        └D. holocanthus (Species)
WoRMS ID: 127402🔗
iNaturalist ID: 49269🔗

All Photographs
© 2026 Florent Charpin