Blackspotted Puffer, also called Dog-Faced Puffer, is a tropical saltwater fish from the Tetraodontidae family.
It lives near coastal areas and outer reefs with lots of invertebrates. This fish can be found alone or in pairs.
Blackspotted puffers eat coral tips (mainly Acropora), crustaceans, mollusks, sponges, tunicates, and algae.
They are generally common but can pose a risk to reefs if not handled with care.
Blackspotted Puffer Interesting Facts
- Blackspotted puffers inhabit the Indo-Pacific region, from East Africa to Micronesia and Samoa.
- They feed on coral tips, crustaceans, mollusks, sponges, tunicates, and algae.
- These fish can grow up to 13 inches (33.0 centimeters) long and have a distinct pale gray color with dark patches around their eyes and snout.
- As an oviparous species, blackspotted puffer lay eggs.
Blackspotted Puffer Habitat
Blackspotted puffer is found in the Indo-Pacific region.
Its habitat stretches from East Africa to Micronesia and Samoa and also ranges from southern Japan down to New South Wales.
However, it’s replaced by another species called Arothron diadematus in the Red Sea.
This fish lives in marine environments near coral reefs at depths of 3 to 25 meters (about 10 to 82 feet).
Blackspotted puffer is a tropical species that can be found at latitudes between 42°N to 35°S and longitudes between 20°E to 158°W.
| Water Temperature: | Unknown |
| Water pH: | Unknown |
| Water Hardness: | Unknown |
Blackspotted Puffer Physical Characteristics
Size: 13 inches (33.0 centimeters)
Blackspotted puffer grows up to 13 inches (33.0 centimeters) long. It has no dorsal spines, but it has 10 to 11 dorsal soft rays and 10 to 12 anal soft rays.
Its body is covered with small, sharp points called prickles and large black spots.
Blackspotted puffer fish’s appearance can vary, but it usually has a pale gray color with dark patches around its eyes and snout.
There’s a white bar on top of the snout, widely scattered black spots, and sometimes a bit of yellow on the head and body.
Further, it also has small spinules (spikes) on its head and body except near its mouth, tail base, and some parts of its back.
These spinules are more developed on the fish’s underside.
Its snout is short (2 to 2.5 times shorter than its head length), and it has a rounded tail fin that measures between 3 to 4 times shorter than its body length when stretched out straight.
Blackspotted Puffer Reproduction
Blackspotted puffer is oviparous, meaning it lays eggs to reproduce.
Blackspotted Puffer Scientific Classification
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Tetraodontiformes |
| Family: | Tetraodontidae |
| Genus: | Arothron |
| Scientific Name: | Arothron nigropunctatus |
| Also Known As: | Blackspotted Puffer, Dog-faced Puffer |
| Conservation Status: | Least Concern |