Starry Puffer, Arothron stellatus (Bloch & Schneider 1801)


Other Names: Black-lined Pufferfish, Diagonal-banded Toadfish, Diagonal-banded Toado, Star Puffer, Starry Pufferfish, Starry Toadfish, Stellate Puffer, Stellate Toado, Toado

A Starry Puffer, Arothron stellatus, at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland. Source: Graham Edgar / Reef Life Survey. License: CC by Attribution

Summary:

A large pale greyish puffer with small black spots on the body (and often the fins) that become relatively smaller and more numerous as the fish grows, and dark blotches around the bases of the pectoral and dorsal fins. Juveniles are orange with dark stripes that break up into spots as they grow.


Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2022, Arothron stellatus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 12 Oct 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/852

Starry Puffer, Arothron stellatus (Bloch & Schneider 1801)

More Info


Distribution

Shark Bay and offshore reefs of north Western Australia, Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea, to Sussex Inlet, New South Wales with juveniles south to at least Eden, New South Wales; also Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean, reefs in the Coral Sea, and the Lord Howe Province in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere, the species is widespread in the tropical, Indo-west-central Pacific.
Adults inhabit clear lagoons and seaward reefs, while juveniles prefer estuaries and coastal reefs.

Features

Dorsal fin 11-12; Anal fin 11; Pectoral fin 17-20. 
Nasal organ with 2 bifid tentacles; a single lateral line on side of body; small spinules on head and body, except top of snout, fin bases, and side of caudal peduncle, spinules most noticeable ventrally. 

Feeding

Feeds on a range on benthic invertebrates including sea urchins, starfishes, sponges, crabs, coral and algae.

Fisheries

Taken in artisinal fisheries in some areas, and caught as incidental bycatch in commercial trawl fisheries. Juveniles may also be traded in the aquarium industry.

Remarks

The Starry Puffer is extremely poisonous, and tetrodotoxin may occur in the muscle, intestine, liver, gonads and skin. The toxicity may vary according to geographic area and season.

Etymology

The specific name is from the Latin stellatus (= starry) in reference to the stellate-shaped prickles covering the body.

Species Citation

Tetrodon stellatus Anonymous 1798, Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung 1798 (pt. 3) (no. 288): 683. Type locality: Mauritius (as mare Indicum circa insulam Mauricii).

Author

Bray, D.J. 2022

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Starry Puffer, Arothron stellatus (Bloch & Schneider 1801)

References


Allen, G.R. 1993. Fishes of Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 44: 67-91.

Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls.

Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.

Allen, G.R., Hoese, D.F., Paxton, J.R., Randall, J.E., Russell, B.C., Starck, W.A., Talbot, F.H. & Whitley, G.P. 1976. Annotated checklist of the fishes of Lord Howe Island. Records of the Australian Museum 30(15): 365-454 figs 1-2

Allen, G.R., Steene, R.C. & Orchard, M. 2007. Fishes of Christmas Island. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 2 edn, 284 pp.

Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls.

Anonymous [Lacepède], 1798. Paris b. Plassan: Histoire naturelle des poissons par le Cit. La Cepède, etc. Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung 1798 (pt. 3) (no. 288): cols. 681-685.

Berry, P.Y. & Aziz bin Hassan, A. 1973. Comparative lethality of tissue extracts from the malaysian puffer fishes, Lagocephalus lunaris lunaris, L. l. spadiceus and Arothron stellatus. Toxicon 11(3): 249–254.

Blaber, S.J.M., Brewer, D.T. & Harris, A.N. 1994. Distribution, biomass and community structure of demersal fishes of the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 45(3): 375-396. 

Castelnau, F.L. de 1878. Australian fishes, new or little known species. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 1 2(3): 225-248 pls 1-2 (described as Tetrodon staigeri) See ref at BHL

Castelnau, F.L. de 1879. Essay on the ichthyology of Port Jackson. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 1 3(4): 347-402 (described as Tetraodon amabilis) See ref at BHL

Francis, M. 1993. Checklist of the coastal fishes of Lord Howe, Norfolk, and Kermadec Islands, southwest Pacific Ocean. Pacific Science 47(2): 136-170 figs 1-2

Francis, M.P. 2019. Checklist of the coastal fishes of Lord Howe, Norfolk and Kermadec Islands, southwest Pacific Ocean Version: 2019.1  https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4428305

Gloerfelt-Tarp, T. & Kailola, P.J. 1984. Trawled Fishes of Southern Indonesia and Northwest Australia. Jakarta : Dir. Gen. Fish. (Indonesia), German Tech. Coop., Aust. Dev. Ass. Bur. 406 pp.

Grant, E.M. 1975. Guide to Fishes. Brisbane : Queensland Government, Co-ordinator General’s Department 640 pp.

Grant, E.M. 1991. Fishes of Australia. Brisbane : EM Grant Pty Ltd 480 pp.

Hardy, G.S. 1981. New records of pufferfishes (family Tetraodontidae) from Australia and New Zealand, with notes on Sphoeroides pachygaster (Müller and Troschel) and Lagocephalus scleratus (Gmelin). Records of the National Museum of New Zealand 1(20): 311-316 figs 1-2

Hutchins, B. 2004. Fishes of the Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 66: 343–398.

Hutchins, J.B. 1990. Fish survey of South Passage, Shark Bay, Western Australia. pp. 263-278 in Berry, P.F., Bradshaw, S.D. & Wilson, B.R. (eds). Research in Shark Bay: Report of the France-Australe Bicentenary Expedition Committee. Perth : Western Australian Museum

Hutchins, J.B. 1994. A survey of the nearshore reef fish fauna of Western Australia's west and south coasts — The Leeuwin Province. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 46: 1-66 figs 1-6

Hutchins, J.B., Williams, D.McB., Newman, S.J., Cappo, M. & Speare, P. 1995. New records of fishes for the Rowley Shoals and Scott/Seringapatam Reefs, off north-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 17: 119-123.

Johnson, J.W. 2010. Fishes of the Moreton Bay Marine Park and adjacent continental shelf waters, Queensland, Australia. pp. 299-353 in Davie, P.J.F. & Phillips, J.A. Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Marine Biological Workshop, The Marine Fauna and Flora of Moreton Bay. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 54(3)

Kuiter, R.H. 1992. Tropical Reef-Fishes of the Western Pacific, Indonesia and Adjacent Waters. Jakarta : PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama 314 pp. pls.

Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp.

Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp.

Larson, H.K. & Williams, R.S. 1997. Darwin Harbour fishes: a survey and annotated checklist. pp. 339-380 in Hanley, H.R., Caswell, G., Megirian, D. & Larson, H.K. (eds). The Marine Flora and Fauna of Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory, Australia. Proceedings of the Sixth International Marine Biology Workshop. Darwin : Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory 466 pp.

Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P. 2013. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa 3696(1): 1-293.

Marshall, T.C. 1964. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coastal Waters of Queensland. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 566 pp. 136 pls.

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs.

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs.

Russell, B.C. 1983. Annotated checklist of the coral reef fishes in the Capricorn-Bunker group, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Special Publication Series 1: 1-184 figs 1-2

Russell, B.C., Larson, H.K., Hutchins, J.B. & Allen, G.R. 2005. Reef fishes of the Sahul Shelf. The Beagle, Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory Supplement 1 2005: 83-105.

Russell, B.C. & Houston, W. 1989. Offshore fishes of the Arafura Sea. The Beagle, Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory 6(1): 69-84.

Sainsbury, K.J., Kailola, P.J. & Leyland, G.G. 1985. Continental Shelf Fishes of Northern and North-Western Australia. Canberra : Fisheries Information Service 375 pp. figs & pls.

Shao, K., Liu, M., Jing, L., Hardy, G., Leis, J.L. & Matsuura, K. 2014. Arothron stellatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T193712A2264205. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T193712A2264205.en. Downloaded on 24 May 2019.

Thomson, J.M. 1978. A Field Guide to the Common Sea & Estuary Fishes of Non-tropical Australia. Sydney : Collins 144 pp.

Whitley, G.P. 1932. Fishes. Scientific Reports of the Great Barrier Reef Expedition 1928-1929 4(9): 267-316 figs 1-5 pls 1-4 (described as Ovoides aerostaticus otteri) See ref at BHL

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37467014

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Danger:Poisonous

Depth:1-61 m

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:100 cm TL+

Species Maps

CAAB distribution map