It is one of the smallest members of the porcupinefish family. The family Molidae belongs to the order Tetraodontiformes, which includes pufferfish, porcupinefish, and filefish. Other names are the blotched porcupinefish and the brown-backed porcupinefish. Other species of burr and porcupinefish are found in the tropics. As with most fish, the porcupinefish is infected by a variety of parasites.