Blackspotted Puffer, Arothron nigropunctatus (Bloch & Schneider 1801)

Other Names: Black Spotted Pufferfish, Black-spotted Puffer, Black-spotted Pufferfish, Black-spotted Toadfish, Black-spotted Toado, Dog Face Puffer, Dogface Puffer, Dogface Puffer, Dogface Pufferfish, Spotted Toado

A Blackspotted Puffer, Arothron nigropunctatus, on Ribbon Reef #9, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, June 2002. Source: Erik Schlogl / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:

A grey to dark brown puffer becoming paler below, with many dark spots scattered on the head and body, and usually dark patches around the eyes and snout, and a white bar across the top of the snout. Individuals may also be partly or overall yellow in colour.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2022, Arothron nigropunctatus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 19 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/850

Blackspotted Puffer, Arothron nigropunctatus (Bloch & Schneider 1801)

More Info

Distribution	Australian EEZ from Ningaloo Reef and offshore reefs of northwest Western Australia, and Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea, to the northern Great Barrier Reef and reefs in the Coral Sea, south to the Shoalhaven River, New South Wales; also at Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean, and the Lord Howe Province in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere the species occurs in the Indo-west-central Pacific from East Africa to Micronesia and Samoa, and north to southern Japan, Taiwan and the South China Sea. Inhabits coastal and outer reefs, usually in areas with rich invertebrate growth.
Features	Dorsal fin 9-11; Anal fin 10-12; Pectoral fin 17-20. Nasal organ with 2 bifid tentacles; a single lateral line on side of body; head and body covered with small spinules except around mouth, caudal peduncle and some areas on the back; spinules are most obvious on the ventral surface.
Size
Feeding	Feeds on a range of invertebrates, including sponges, corals, molluscs and tunicates, along with algae.
Remarks	The Blackspotted Puffer has been known to hybridize with the Scribbled Puffer, Arothron mappa (Hobbs et al. 2009).
Etymology	The specific name nigropunctatus is from the Latin nigro- (= black) and punctatus (= spotted), in reference to the black spots scattered on the head and body of this species.
Species Citation	Tetrodon nigropunctatus Bloch & Schneider, 1801. Systema Ichthyologiae: 507. Type locality: Tranquebar, India.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2022
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Blackspotted Puffer, Arothron nigropunctatus (Bloch & Schneider 1801)

References

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Bloch, M.E. & Schneider, J.G. 1801. Systema Ichthyologiae Iconibus ex Illustratum. Berlin 584 pp. 110 pls. See ref at BHL

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