''Chelonodontops pleurospilus'', commonly known as the blaasop beauty, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of pufferfish in the family

Tetraodontidae Tetraodontidae is a family of marine and freshwater fish in the order Tetraodontiformes. The family includes many familiar species variously called pufferfish, puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, blowers, blowies, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, ...

. It is a marine species

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, where it ranges from the mouth of the Xora River to Durban. It is demersal and found in shallow water (1–10 m depth). It reaches 20 cm (7.9 inches) in total length. It is poisonous and not suitable for human consumption.

References

Tetraodontidae Fish of the Indian Ocean Endemic fish of South Africa Marine fish of South Africa Fish described in 1919 Taxa named by Charles Tate Regan {{tetraodontiformes-stub