
Tetraodontidae is a
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
of primarily marine and
estuarine fish
Coastal fish, also called inshore fish or neritic fish, inhabit the sea between the shoreline and the edge of the continental shelf. Since the continental shelf is usually less than deep, it follows that pelagic coastal fish are generally ep ...
of the
order
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
* Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...
Tetraodontiformes
The Tetraodontiformes are an order of highly derived ray-finned fish, also called the Plectognathi. Sometimes these are classified as a suborder of the order Perciformes. The Tetraodontiformes are represented by 10 extant families and at least ...
. The family includes many familiar species variously called pufferfish, puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, blowies, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, toadfish, toadies, toadle, honey toads, Haaris Anwar fish, sugar toads, and sea squab.
They are
morphologically similar to the closely related
porcupinefish
Porcupinefish are fish belonging to the family Diodontidae (order Tetraodontiformes), also commonly called blowfish and, sometimes, balloonfish and globefish. They are sometimes collectively called pufferfish, not to be confused with the morpholo ...
, which have large external spines (unlike the thinner, hidden spines of the Tetraodontidae, which are only visible when the fish have puffed up). The scientific name refers to the four large teeth, fused into an upper and lower plate, which are used for crushing the hard shells of
crustacean
Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean gro ...
s and
mollusk
Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is es ...
s, their natural prey.
The majority of
pufferfish
Tetraodontidae is a family of primarily marine and estuarine fish of the order Tetraodontiformes. The family includes many familiar species variously called pufferfish, puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, blowies, bubblefish, globefish, swellfi ...
species are
toxic
Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subs ...
and some are among the most poisonous
vertebrate
Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxon, taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () (chordates with vertebral column, backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the ...
s in the world. In certain species, the internal organs, such as the liver, and sometimes the skin, contain
tetrodotoxin
Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a potent neurotoxin. Its name derives from Tetraodontiformes, an order that includes pufferfish, porcupinefish, ocean sunfish, and triggerfish; several of these species carry the toxin. Although tetrodotoxin was discove ...
, and are highly toxic to most animals when eaten; nevertheless, the meat of some species is considered a delicacy in
Japan (as 河豚, pronounced ''
fugu
The fugu (; ; ) in Japanese, ''bogeo'' (; 鰒魚) or ''bok'' () in Korean, and ''hétún'' (河豚; 河魨) in Standard Modern Chinese is a pufferfish, normally of the genus '' Takifugu'', '' Lagocephalus'', or '' Sphoeroides'', or a porcupin ...
''),
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republi ...
(as 복, ''bok'', or 복어, ''bogeo''), and
China (as 河豚, ''hétún'') when prepared by specially trained chefs who know which part is safe to eat and in what quantity. Other pufferfish species with nontoxic flesh, such as the
northern puffer
The northern puffer, ''Sphoeroides maculatus'', is a species in the family Tetraodontidae, or pufferfishes, found along the Atlantic coast of North America. Unlike many other pufferfish species, the flesh of the northern puffer is not poisonous ( ...
, ''Sphoeroides maculatus'', of
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...
,
are considered a delicacy elsewhere.
The species ''
Torquigener albomaculosus
''Torquigener albomaculosus'', or the white-spotted pufferfish, is the 20th discovered species of the genus '' Torquigener''. The species was discovered in the ocean waters around the Ryukyu Islands in Japan off the south coast of Amami Ōshima ...
'' was described by
David Attenborough
Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural histor ...
as "the greatest artist of the animal kingdom" due to the males
' unique habit of wooing females by
creating nests in sand composed of complex geometric designs.
Genera
The Tetraodontidae contain 193 species of puffers in 28 genera:
* ''
Amblyrhynchotes
'' Amblyrhynchotes'' is a genus of pufferfishes native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Species
There are at least two recognized species in this genus:
* '' Amblyrhynchotes honckenii'' (Bloch Bloch is a surname of German origin. Notable peop ...
''
Troschel, 1856
* ''
Arothron
''Arothron'' is a genus in the pufferfish family Tetraodontidae found in warm parts of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. These species are sometimes kept in aquaria. The largest species is ''A. stellatus'', which can reach in length.
Spe ...
''
Müller, 1841
* ''
Auriglobus''
Kottelat, 1999
* ''
Canthigaster''
Swainson, 1839
* ''
Carinotetraodon
''Carinotetraodon'' is a polyphyletic genus of small freshwater pufferfish found in South and Southeast Asia.Several species have commercial importance as aquarium fish.
Species
There are 6 recognized species in the genus:
* ''Carinotetraodon ...
''
Benl, 1957
* ''
Chelonodon
''Chelonodon'' is a genus of pufferfishes native to the Indo-Pacific. They are mainly found in coastal regions and estuaries, but sometimes in rivers.
Species and taxonomy
There are five recognized species in this genus:
* '' Chelonodon bengale ...
''
Müller, 1841
* ''
Chonerhinos''
Bleeker, 1854
* ''
Colomesus
''Colomesus'' is a genus of pufferfishes confined to tropical South America. Apart from differences in size, the three species are superficially similar, being green above, white below, and patterned with black transverse bands across the dorsal ...
''
Gill, 1884
* ''
Contusus
''Contusus'' is a genus of pufferfishes native to the coastal waters of southern Australia and New Zealand.
Species
There are currently two recognized species in this genus:
* ''Contusus brevicaudus'' Hardy, 1981
* ''Contusus richei
The pric ...
''
Whitley, 1947
* ''
Dichotomyctere''
Duméril, 1855
* ''
Ephippion''
Bibron, 1855
* ''
Feroxodon''
Su, Hardy et Tyler, 1986
* ''
Guentheridia
''Guentheridia formosa'', the spotted puffer, is a species of pufferfish native to the coasts of the eastern Pacific Ocean from Costa Rica to Ecuador. This species grows to a length of TL. It is the only known member of the monotypic genus '' ...
''
Gilbert et Starks, 1904
* ''
Javichthys''
Hardy, 1985
* ''
Leiodon''
Swainson, 1839
* ''
Lagocephalus''
Swainson, 1839
* ''
Marilyna''
Hardy, 1982
* ''
Omegophora
''Omegophora'' is a genus of pufferfishes native to the coastal waters of Australia.
Species
There are currently two recognized species in this genus:
* '' Omegophora armilla'' ( Waite & McCulloch, 1915) (Ringed toadfish)
* ''Omegophora cyanopu ...
''
Whitley, 1934
* ''
Pelagocephalus''
Tyler & Paxton, 1979
* ''
Polyspina''
Hardy, 1983
* ''
Pao''
Kottelat, 2013
* ''
Reicheltia''
Hardy, 1982
* ''
Sphoeroides''
Anonymous, 1798
* ''
Takifugu
''Takifugu'' is a genus of pufferfish, often better known by the Japanese name . There are 25 species belonging to the genus ''Takifugu'' and most of these are native to salt and brackish waters of the northwest Pacific, but a few species are ...
''
Abe, 1949
* ''
Tetractenos''
Hardy, 1983
* ''
Tetraodon
''Tetraodon'' is a genus in the pufferfish family (Tetraodontidae) found in freshwater in Africa. It is the type genus of the family and historically included numerous other species; several Asian species were only moved to the genera '' Dichotom ...
''
Linnaeus, 1758
* ''
Torquigener
''Torquigener'' is a genus of pufferfishes native to the Indian and Pacific oceans. Their name refers to their ability to build circular structures on sandy sea bottom (''torquis'' + ''gener'').
Species
Twenty species are recognized in this gen ...
''
Whitley, 1930
* ''
Tylerius
The spiny blaasop (''Tylerius spinosissimus'') is a species of pufferfish. Originally native to the Indian Ocean, the southwestern Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean along the coast of South Africa, it has recently colonised the Levantine water ...
''
Hardy, 1984
File:Arothron stellatus Réunion.jpg, ''Arothron stellatus
''Arothron stellatus'', also known as the stellate puffer, starry puffer, starry pufferfish, or starry toadfish, is a demersal marine fish belonging to the family Tetraodontidae. It is found in shallow water in the Indo-Pacific region.
Descrip ...
''
File:Canthigaster valentini prg1.jpg, '' Canthigaster valentini''
File:Carinotetraodon irrubesco female.JPG, ''Carinotetraodon irrubesco
''Carinotetraodon irrubesco'', known commonly as the red-tail dwarf puffer, is a freshwater pufferfish found only in the lower Banyuasin basin in South Sumatra and the Sambas River in West Kalimantan.
Characteristics
''Carinotetraodon irrubesc ...
''
File:Colomesus.jpg, ''Colomesus asellus
''Colomesus asellus'', the Amazon puffer, asellus puffer, South American freshwater puffer or Peruvian puffer is a species of pufferfish confined to the Amazon, Essequibo and Orinoco basins in tropical South America. It is a popular aquarium spec ...
''
File:Ephippion guttifer crop.JPG, ''Ephippion guttifer
''Ephippion guttifer'', commonly known as the prickly puffer, is a species of pufferfish native to the coasts of the eastern Atlantic Ocean from Gibraltar to Angola. This species grows to a length of TL. It is of importance to commercial fis ...
''
File:Lagocephalus lagocephalus.jpg, ''Lagocephalus lagocephalus
The oceanic puffer, sci-name: ''Lagocephalus lagocephalus'' (meaning "rabbit head"), is a pufferfish of the family ''Tetraodontidae
Tetraodontidae is a family of primarily marine and estuarine fish of the order Tetraodontiformes. The fam ...
''
File:Omegophora cyanopunctata Bluespotted toadfish PC290509.JPG, ''Omegophora cyanopunctata
''Omegophora cyanopunctata'', known as the bluespotted toadfish or bluespotted puffer, is a species of pufferfish in the family Tetraodontidae. It is a marine, reef-associated species endemic to Australian waters, where it ranges from Gulf St Vin ...
''
File:Bandtail puffer (Sphoeroides spengleri).jpg, ''Sphoeroides spengleri
The bandtail puffer (''Sphoeroides spengleri'') is a species in the family Tetraodontidae, or pufferfishes. It can grow to a length of about 30 cm and is common in the Caribbean and observed from Massachusetts, USA in the north to Santa Cat ...
''
File:Fugu in Tank.jpg, ''Takifugu rubripes
''Takifugu rubripes'', commonly known as the Japanese puffer, Tiger puffer, or torafugu ( ja, 虎河豚), is a pufferfish in the genus ''Takifugu''. It is distinguished by a very small genome that has been fully sequenced because of its use as a m ...
''
File:Smooth Toadfish-Tetractenos glaber.JPG, ''Tetractenos glaber
The smooth toadfish (''Tetractenos glaber'') is a species of fish in the pufferfish family Tetraodontidae. It is native to shallow coastal and estuarine waters of southeastern Australia, where it is widespread and abundant. French naturalist Ch ...
''
File:Goldringel-Kugelfisch.JPG, '' Tetraodon mbu''
Description
They are typically small to medium in size, although a few species can reach lengths greater than .
Distribution
They are most diverse in the
tropics
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred ...
, relatively uncommon in the
temperate zone
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...
, and completely absent from
cold waters.
Ecology and life history
Most pufferfish species live in marine or
brackish
Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...
waters, but some can enter fresh water. About 35 species spend their entire lifecycles in fresh water. These freshwater species are found in disjunct tropical regions of South America (''
Colomesus asellus
''Colomesus asellus'', the Amazon puffer, asellus puffer, South American freshwater puffer or Peruvian puffer is a species of pufferfish confined to the Amazon, Essequibo and Orinoco basins in tropical South America. It is a popular aquarium spec ...
'' and ''
Colomesus tocantinensis''), Africa (six ''
Tetraodon
''Tetraodon'' is a genus in the pufferfish family (Tetraodontidae) found in freshwater in Africa. It is the type genus of the family and historically included numerous other species; several Asian species were only moved to the genera '' Dichotom ...
'' species), and Southeast Asia (''
Auriglobus'', ''
Carinotetraodon
''Carinotetraodon'' is a polyphyletic genus of small freshwater pufferfish found in South and Southeast Asia.Several species have commercial importance as aquarium fish.
Species
There are 6 recognized species in the genus:
* ''Carinotetraodon ...
'', ''
Dichotomyctere'', ''
Leiodon'' and ''
Pao'').
Natural defenses
The puffer's unique and distinctive natural defenses help compensate for its slow locomotion. It moves by combining
pectoral,
dorsal
Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to:
* Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism
* Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage
* Dorsal co ...
,
anal
Anal may refer to:
Related to the anus
*Related to the anus of animals:
** Anal fin, in fish anatomy
** Anal vein, in insect anatomy
** Anal scale, in reptile anatomy
*Related to the human anus:
** Anal sex, a type of sexual activity involving ...
, and
caudal fin
Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as s ...
motions. This makes it highly maneuverable, but very slow, so a comparatively easy predation target. Its tail fin is mainly used as a rudder, but it can be used for a sudden evasive burst of speed that shows none of the care and precision of its usual movements. The puffer's excellent eyesight, combined with this speed burst, is the first and most important defense against predators.
The pufferfish's secondary defense mechanism, used if successfully pursued, is to fill its extremely elastic
stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The stomach has a dilated structure and functions as a vital organ in the digestive system. The stomach i ...
with water (or air when outside the water) until it is much larger and almost
spherical
A sphere () is a geometrical object that is a three-dimensional analogue to a two-dimensional circle. A sphere is the set of points that are all at the same distance from a given point in three-dimensional space.. That given point is the ...
in shape. Even if they are not visible when the puffer is not inflated, all puffers have pointed spines, so a hungry predator may suddenly find itself facing an unpalatable, pointy ball rather than a slow, easy meal. Predators that do not heed this warning (or are "lucky" enough to catch the puffer suddenly, before or during inflation) may die from choking, and predators that do manage to swallow the puffer may find their stomachs full of
tetrodotoxin
Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a potent neurotoxin. Its name derives from Tetraodontiformes, an order that includes pufferfish, porcupinefish, ocean sunfish, and triggerfish; several of these species carry the toxin. Although tetrodotoxin was discove ...
(TTX), making puffers an unpleasant, possibly lethal, choice of prey. This
neurotoxin
Neurotoxins are toxins that are destructive to nerve tissue (causing neurotoxicity). Neurotoxins are an extensive class of exogenous chemical neurological insultsSpencer 2000 that can adversely affect function in both developing and matur ...
is found primarily in the
ovaries
The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the bod ...
and
liver
The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...
, although smaller amounts exist in the
intestines
The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans ...
and
skin
Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation.
Other cuticle, animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have diffe ...
, as well as trace amounts in muscle. It does not always have a lethal effect on large predators, such as sharks, but it can kill humans.
Larval pufferfish are
chemically defended by the presence of TTX on the surface of skin, which causes predators to spit them out.
Not all puffers are necessarily poisonous; the flesh of the
northern puffer
The northern puffer, ''Sphoeroides maculatus'', is a species in the family Tetraodontidae, or pufferfishes, found along the Atlantic coast of North America. Unlike many other pufferfish species, the flesh of the northern puffer is not poisonous ( ...
is not toxic (a level of poison can be found in its
viscera
In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a ...
) and it is considered a delicacy in North America.
''
Takifugu oblongus
''Takifugu oblongus'', known as the oblong blowfish or lattice blaasop, is a species of pufferfish in the family Tetraodontidae. It is native to the Indo-Pacific, where it ranges from South Africa to Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Rep ...
'', for example, is a ''
fugu
The fugu (; ; ) in Japanese, ''bogeo'' (; 鰒魚) or ''bok'' () in Korean, and ''hétún'' (河豚; 河魨) in Standard Modern Chinese is a pufferfish, normally of the genus '' Takifugu'', '' Lagocephalus'', or '' Sphoeroides'', or a porcupin ...
'' puffer that is not poisonous, and toxin level varies widely even in fish that are. A puffer's neurotoxin is not necessarily as toxic to other animals as it is to humans, and puffers are eaten routinely by some species of fish, such as
lizardfish
The Synodontidae or lizardfishes(or typical lizardfish to distinguish them from the Bathysauridae and Pseudotrichonotidae) are benthic (bottom-dwelling) marine and estuarine bony fishes that belong to the aulopiform fish order, a diverse grou ...
and
shark
Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...
s.
Puffers are able to move their eyes independently, and many species can change the color or intensity of their patterns in response to environmental changes. In these respects, they are somewhat similar to the terrestrial
chameleon. Although most puffers are drab, many have bright colors and distinctive markings,
and make no attempt to hide from predators. This is likely an example of
honestly signaled aposematism
Aposematism is the Advertising in biology, advertising by an animal to potential predation, predators that it is not worth attacking or eating. This unprofitability may consist of any defences which make the prey difficult to kill and eat, suc ...
.
Dolphin
A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (t ...
s have been filmed expertly handling pufferfish amongst themselves in an apparent attempt to get intoxicated or enter a trance-like state.
Reproduction
Many marine puffers have a
pelagic
The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean, and can be further divided into regions by depth (as illustrated on the right). The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or w ...
, or open-ocean, life stage. Spawning occurs after males slowly push females to the water surface or join females already present. The eggs are spherical and buoyant. Hatching occurs after roughly four days. The fry are tiny, but under magnification have a shape usually reminiscent of a pufferfish. They have a functional mouth and eyes, and must eat within a few days. Brackish-water puffers may breed in bays in a manner similar to marine species, or may breed more similarly to the freshwater species, in cases where they have moved far enough upriver.
Reproduction in freshwater species varies quite a bit. The
dwarf puffers court with males following females, possibly displaying the crests and keels unique to this subgroup of species. After the female accepts his advances, she will lead the male into plants or another form of cover, where she can release eggs for fertilization. The male may help her by rubbing against her side. This has been observed in captivity, and they are the only commonly captive-spawned puffer species.

Target-group puffers have also been spawned in aquaria, and follow a similar courting behavior, minus the crest/keel display. Eggs are laid, though, on a flat piece of slate or other smooth, hard material, to which they adhere. The male will guard them until they hatch, carefully blowing water over them regularly to keep the eggs healthy. His parenting is finished when the young hatch and the fry are on their own.
In 2012, males of the species ''
Torquigener albomaculosus
''Torquigener albomaculosus'', or the white-spotted pufferfish, is the 20th discovered species of the genus '' Torquigener''. The species was discovered in the ocean waters around the Ryukyu Islands in Japan off the south coast of Amami Ōshima ...
'' were documented while carving large and complex geometric, circular structures in the seabed sand in
Amami Ōshima
, also known as Amami, is the largest island in the Amami archipelago between Kyūshū and Okinawa. It is one of the Satsunan Islands.
The island, 712.35 km2 in area, has a population of approximately 73,000 people. Administratively it is ...
, Japan. The structures serve to attract females and to provide a safe place for them to lay their eggs.
On a program presented by BBC,
David Attenborough
Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural histor ...
declared this species as "the greatest artist of the animal kingdom" due to the careful construction of these unique structures used to woo females by
creating nests in sand composed of complex geometric designs.
Information on breeding of specific species is very limited. ''
T. nigroviridis'', the green-spotted puffer, has recently been spawned artificially under captive conditions. It is believed to spawn in bays in a similar manner to saltwater species, as their sperm was found to be motile only at full marine salinities, but wild breeding has never been observed. ''
Xenopterus naritus'' has been reported to be the first bred artificially in Sarawak, Northwestern Borneo, in June 2016, and the main purpose was for development of aquaculture of the species.
Diet
Pufferfish diets can vary depending on their environment. Traditionally, their diet consists mostly of algae and small invertebrates. They can survive on a completely vegetarian diet if their environment is lacking resources, but prefer an omnivorous food selection. Larger species of pufferfish are able to use their beak-like front teeth to break open clams, mussels, and other shellfish. Some species of pufferfish have also been known to enact various hunting techniques ranging from ambush to open-water hunting.
File:Arothron hispidus Prague 2011 1.jpg, White-spotted puffer
The white-spotted puffer fish (''Arothron hispidus'') is a medium to large-sized puffer fish, it can reach 50 cm length. It is light grey in color, or greyish or yellowish, and clearly covered with more or less regular white points, that b ...
File:Arothron manilensis.jpg, Striped puffer
File:Giant Puffer fish skin pattern.JPG, Elaborate skin pattern of the giant or mbu puffer
Evolution
The tetraodontids have been estimated to have diverged from
diodontids between 89 and 138 million years ago. The four major clades diverged during the
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...
between 80 and 101 million years ago. The oldest known pufferfish genus is ''
Eotetraodon'', from the
Lutetian
The Lutetian is, in the geologic timescale, a stage (stratigraphy), stage or age (geology), age in the Eocene. It spans the time between . The Lutetian is preceded by the Ypresian and is followed by the Bartonian. Together with the Bartonian it ...
epoch of Middle
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...
Europe, with fossils found in
Monte Bolca
Monte Bolca is a lagerstätte near Verona, Italy that was one of the first fossil sites with high quality preservation known to Europeans, and is still an important source of fossils from the Eocene.
Geology
Monte Bolca was uplifted from the T ...
and the
Caucasus Mountains
The Caucasus Mountains,
: pronounced
* hy, Կովկասյան լեռներ,
: pronounced
* az, Qafqaz dağları, pronounced
* rus, Кавка́зские го́ры, Kavkázskiye góry, kɐfˈkasːkʲɪje ˈɡorɨ
* tr, Kafkas Dağla ...
. The Monte Bolca species, ''E. pygmaeus'', coexisted with several other tetraodontiforms, including an extinct species of diodontid, primitive
boxfish
Ostraciidae is a family of squared, bony fish belonging to the order Tetraodontiformes, closely related to the pufferfishes and filefishes. Fish in the family are known variously as boxfishes, cofferfishes, cowfishes and trunkfishes. It contains ...
(''
Proaracana
''Proaracana dubia'' is an extinct, prehistoric aracanid boxfish that lived during the Lutetian of middle Eocene Monte Bolca.
See also
* '' Eolactoria''
* Prehistoric fish
* List of prehistoric bony fish
A ''list'' is any set of items in ...
'' and ''
Eolactoria
''Eolactoria sorbinii'' is an extinct prehistoric boxfish that lived during the Lutetian epoch of the middle Eocene, in Monte Bolca. It had two pairs of long spines, one over each eye, and one pair beneath the anal and caudal fins, arranged ve ...
''), and other, totally extinct forms, such as ''
Zignoichthys'' and the
spinacanthids.
The extinct genus, ''
Archaeotetraodon'' is known from
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recent" ...
-aged fossils from Europe.
Poisoning
Pufferfish can be lethal if not served properly. Puffer poisoning usually results from consumption of incorrectly prepared puffer soup, ''
fugu chiri'', or occasionally from raw puffer meat, ''
sashimi fugu''. While ''chiri'' is much more likely to cause death, ''sashimi fugu'' often causes intoxication, light-headedness, and numbness of the lips.
Pufferfish tetrodotoxin deadens the tongue and lips, and induces dizziness and vomiting, followed by numbness and prickling over the body, rapid heart rate, decreased
blood pressure
Blood pressure (BP) is the pressure of circulating blood against the walls of blood vessels. Most of this pressure results from the heart pumping blood through the circulatory system. When used without qualification, the term "blood pressur ...
, and muscle
paralysis
Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 5 ...
. The toxin paralyzes the
diaphragm muscle and stops the person who has ingested it from breathing. People who live longer than 24 hours typically survive, although possibly after a
coma
A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...
lasting several days.
The source of tetrodotoxin in puffers has been a matter of debate, but it is increasingly accepted that bacteria in the fish's intestinal tract are the source.
Saxitoxin
Saxitoxin (STX) is a potent neurotoxin and the best-known paralytic shellfish toxin (PST). Ingestion of saxitoxin by humans, usually by consumption of shellfish contaminated by toxic algal blooms, is responsible for the illness known as paraly ...
, the cause of
paralytic shellfish poisoning
Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) is one of the four recognized syndromes of shellfish poisoning, which share some common features and are primarily associated with bivalve mollusks (such as mussels, clams, oysters and scallops). These shellf ...
and
red tide
A harmful algal bloom (HAB) (or excessive algae growth) is an algal bloom that causes negative impacts to other organisms by production of natural phycotoxin, algae-produced toxins, mechanical damage to other organisms, or by other means. HABs are ...
, can also be found in certain puffers.
File:Puffer Fish DSC01257.JPG, ''Arothron hispidus
The white-spotted puffer fish (''Arothron hispidus'') is a medium to large-sized puffer fish, it can reach 50 cm length. It is light grey in color, or greyish or yellowish, and clearly covered with more or less regular white points, that b ...
'' at Big Island of Hawaii
File:Puffer fish -Costa Rica-8.jpg, Man with a guineafowl puffer in Costa Rica
File:2 pufferfish.jpg, Fisherman handpicks a puffer from his day's catch before throwing it back to prevent poisoning. Tarkwa bay, Lagos
Lagos ( Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 f ...
Philippines
In September 2012, the
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
issued a warning not to eat puffer fish, after local fishermen died upon consuming puffer fish for dinner. The warning indicated that puffer fish toxin is 100 times more potent than
cyanide
Cyanide is a naturally occurring, rapidly acting, toxic chemical that can exist in many different forms.
In chemistry, a cyanide () is a chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of ...
.
Thailand
Pufferfish, called ''pakapao'' in
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
, are usually consumed by mistake. They are often cheaper than other fish, and because they contain inconsistent levels of toxins between fish and season, there is little awareness or monitoring of the danger. Consumers are regularly hospitalized and some even die from the poisoning.
United States
Cases of neurological symptoms, including numbness and tingling of the lips and mouth, have been reported to rise after the consumption of puffers caught in the area of
Titusville, Florida
Titusville is a city in eastern Florida and the county seat of Brevard County, Florida, United States. The city's population was 43,761 as of the 2010 United States Census.
Titusville is located along the Indian River, west of Merritt Island and ...
, USA. The symptoms generally resolve within hours to days, although one affected individual required
intubation
Intubation (sometimes entubation) is a medical procedure involving the insertion of a tube into the body. Patients are generally anesthetized beforehand. Examples include tracheal intubation, and the balloon tamponade with a Sengstaken-Blake ...
for 72 hours. As a result, Florida banned the harvesting of puffers from certain bodies of water.
Treatment
Treatment is mainly supportive and consists of intestinal decontamination with
gastric lavage
Gastric lavage, also commonly called stomach pumping or gastric irrigation, is the process of cleaning out the contents of the stomach. Since its first recorded use in early 19th century, it has become one of the most routine means of eliminating ...
and
activated charcoal
"Activated" is a song by English singer Cher Lloyd. It was released on 22 July 2016 through Vixen Records. The song was made available to stream exclusively on ''Rolling Stone'' a day before to release (on 21 July 2016).
Background
In an inter ...
, and life-support until the toxin is metabolized. Case reports suggest
anticholinesterase
Cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs), also known as anti-cholinesterase, are chemicals that prevent the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine or butyrylcholine. This increases the amount of the acetylcholine or butyrylcholine in the syn ...
s such as
edrophonium
Edrophonium is a readily reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. It prevents breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and acts by competitively inhibiting the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, mainly at the neuromuscular junction. It is sold ...
may be effective.
See also
*
Shimonoseki
is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. With a population of 265,684, it is the largest city in Yamaguchi Prefecture and the fifth-largest city in the Chūgoku region. It is located at the southwestern tip of Honshu facing the Tsush ...
– Japanese city known for its locally caught pufferfish
*
Toado
Toado is a common name for a variety of species of fish in the family Tetraodontidae, including:
* Common toado (also toado or common toadfish), ''Tetractenos hamiltoni''
* Clown toado
The clown toado (''Canthigaster callisterna'') a pufferfis ...
– common Australian name for local varieties of pufferfish
References
Further reading
*
* Ebert, Klaus (2001): The Puffers of Fresh and Brackish Water, Aqualog, .
*
*
External links
*
''Tetraodon'' sequencing projectFishBase listing for TetraodontidaeA Library of Puffer Fish DNA: Smithsonian Institution's Ocean PortalFisheries Western Australia – Common blowfish Fact SheetUnderwater crop circles from Japan are an amazing form of biological artPufferhas hook removed from mouth by
scuba diver
Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...
Dolphins 'getting high' on puffer fish, zoologist Rob Pilley says''news.com.au'', 30 December 2013.
* Video on How puffer fishes blow up
{{Authority control
Commercial fish
Aposematic animals
Ray-finned fish families
Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte
Extant Lutetian first appearances