Pao baileyi

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Pao baileyi
Baileyi.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Tetraodontiformes
Family: Tetraodontidae
Genus: Pao
Species:
P. baileyi
Binomial name
Pao baileyi
(Sontirat, 1989)
Synonyms
  • Tetraodon baileyiSontirat, 1989
  • Monotrete baileyi(Sontirat, 1989)

Pao baileyi, [2] the hairy pufferfish, is a species of pufferfish usually found in the rocky habitats, including rapids, of the Mekong mainstream and its larger tropical freshwater tributaries. [3]

Contents

Characteristics

P. baileyi grows to around 12 centimetres (4.7 in) SL and can be identified by sparse, or dense, coverage of epidermal outgrowths or cirri on the head and body. [3] The cirri tend to be more profuse in the juvenile state, becoming reduced or non-existent at higher ages. The abdomen is usually golden or orange, with no other markings. [3] Like other pufferfish P. baileyi is scaleless, and is therefore extremely sensitive to water quality. [3]

In Aquaria

P. baileyi is occasionally kept in the aquarium. The unattractive features along with the inactive nature of this fish make it unappealing to be kept. It is commonly fed both dead and live fish, and while it is not known to be a picky eater, it is strictly a carnivore. The fish often fetches a high price, commonly going over $100 USD.

Behavior

The behavior of the Hairy Pufferfish is widely debated and seems to depend widely on the individual. Accounts of behavior differ widely, with some saying that the fish is highly active and others saying the opposite. It is known to be an ambush predator and is extremely aggressive. As is natural with pufferfish, if the individual is frightened to the point of death, they will expand into a ball-like shape. The Hairy Pufferfish is known to be an incredibly smart animal, and will commonly recognize faces if in captivity.

Related Research Articles

Tetraodontidae Family 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, swellfish, toadfish, toadies, honey toads, sugar toads, and sea squab. They are morphologically similar to the closely related porcupinefish, which have large external spines. 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 crustaceans and mollusks, their natural prey.

<i>Takifugu</i> Genus of fishes

Takifugu is a genus of pufferfish, often better known by the Japanese name fugu. 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 found in freshwater of Asia or more widely in the Indo-Pacific region. Their diet consists mostly of algae, molluscs, invertebrates and sometimes crustaceans. The fish defend themselves by inflating their bodies to several times normal size and by poisoning their predators. These defenses allow the fish to actively explore their environment without much fear of being attacked.

<i>Tetraodon</i> Genus of fishes

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 Dichotomyctere, Leiodon and Pao in 2013.

Mbu pufferfish Species of fish

The Mbu puffer, giant puffer or giant freshwater puffer is a carnivorous freshwater pufferfish originating from the middle and lower sections of the Congo river in Africa, as well as the east coast of Lake Tanganyika near the Malagarasi River mouth.

<i>Pao abei</i> Species of fish

Pao abei is a species of freshwater pufferfish from the Mekong, Chao Phraya the Mae Klong river basins in Southeast Asia.

<i>Dichotomyctere ocellatus</i> Species of fish

Dichotomyctere ocellatus, commonly the figure 8 puffer or eyespot puffer, is a pufferfish found in freshwater in Southeast Asia. It is known from the lower reaches of the Mekong (Cambodia), the Peninsular Malaysia as well as Borneo.

<i>Dichotomyctere nigroviridis</i> Species of fish

Dichotomyctere nigroviridis is one of the pufferfish known as the green spotted puffer. It is found across South and Southeast Asia in coastal freshwater,but survives the longest in brackish to saltwater, and brackish water habitats. D. nigroviridis reaches a typical maximum length of about 15 cm (6 in) (5.9 in), with reports of up to 17 cm (6.7 in). In February 2009, it was successfully bred in captivity at University of Florida using a new variation of the ovarian lavage technique.

Dwarf pufferfish Species of fish

The dwarf pufferfish, also known as the Malabar pufferfish, pea pufferfish or pygmy pufferfish, is a small, freshwater pufferfish endemic to Kerala and southern Karnataka in Southwest India. It is threatened by overfishing for the aquarium trade, and by habitat loss.

Siamese algae-eater Species of fish

The Siamese algae-eater is a species of freshwater fish in the carp family, Cyprinidae. This bottom-dwelling tropical fish is found in mainland Southeast Asia, including the Chao Phraya and Mekong basins as well as the Malay Peninsula. Its natural habitats are streams and rivers as well as flooded forests during the rainy season. The Siamese algae-eater should not be confused with the flying fox or the false siamensis , lacking the distinctive black bands of the former.

<i>Neolamprologus multifasciatus</i> Species of fish

Neolamprologus multifasciatus is one of the small shell-dwelling cichlids endemic to Lake Tanganyika. The male reaches 5 cm (2 in) in length, and the female only 2.5 cm (1 in) in the aquarium. In the wild, they reach only 3 centimetres (1.2 in) in standard length of male and female reaches less than 2.2 centimetres (0.87 in) in standard length. This makes them one of the smallest cichlid species in the world. Its natural habitat is the Neothauma shell beds of Lake Tanganyika, where it forms huge colonies with thousands of individuals. Their unique behavior is associated with their affinity to shells. They burrow sand to move shells, take refuge in shells and also breed in them. They have pale white coloring with black vertical bars running the length of their bodies. The species is sexually monomorphic, meaning sexing individuals is extremely hard or impossible based on external appearance alone.

Pao suvattii, or Arrowhead puffer, is a species of pufferfish. It is a medium-sized pufferfish, reaching 11.5 cm (4.5 in) SL. It is also known as a Pignose Puffer or a Mekong Puffer. It is locally common in the Lower Mekong basin, and is exclusively a freshwater fish.

Pao cambodgiensis is a species of freshwater pufferfish native to the Mekong basin. It is also recorded from Dong Nai River. This species grows to a length of 15.3 centimetres (6.0 in) SL.

Pao cochinchinensis is a species of freshwater pufferfish native to the basins of the Mekong and Chao Phraya Rivers. This species grows to a length of 7 centimetres (2.8 in) SL.

Pao leiurus is a species of pufferfish found in Southeast Asia from Thailand to Indonesia and in particular the Mekong basin. It is occasionally imported into the aquarium trade but is reported to be aggressive and snappish.

Pao palembangensis is a species of freshwater pufferfish native to Southeast Asia. This species grows to a length of 19.4 centimetres (7.6 in) SL.

Tetraodon schoutedeni is a species of pufferfish native to Africa's Congo Basin. This species grows to a length of 9 cm (3.5 in).

<i>Pao</i> (fish) Genus of fishes

Pao is a genus of mostly freshwater pufferfish with one species also occurring in brackish water. They are found in Southeast Asia. Until 2013, its species were generally placed in Tetraodon.

Pao turgidus is a species of freshwater pufferfish native to the Mekong basin. It may also occur in the Chao Phraya basin in Thailand. This species grows to a length of 18.5 centimetres (7.3 in) SL.

Zenarchopteridae Family of fishes

Zenarchopteridae, the viviparous halfbeaks, is a family in the order Beloniformes. The Zenarchopteridae exhibit strong sexual dimorphism, practicing internal fertilisation, and in some cases ovoviviparous or viviparous. The members in the family are mainly found in fresh and brackish water of tropical Asia and New Guinea, but the genus Zenarchopterus also includes marine species from the Indo-Pacific. Several, such as the wrestling halfbeak, have become commonly traded aquarium fish.

Papuligobius uniporus is a species of small goby in the subfamily Gobionellinae. It is also the type species of the genus Papuligobius.

References

  1. Kottelat, M. (2012). "Monotrete baileyi". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . IUCN. 2012: e.T169529A1278170. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T169529A1278170.en . Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  2. Kottelat, M. (2013): The Fishes of the Inland Waters of Southeast Asia: A Catalogue and Core Bibliography of the Fishes Known to Occur in Freshwaters, Mangroves and Estuaries. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 2013, Supplement No. 27: 1–663.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). "Tetraodon baileyi" in FishBase . October 2012 version.