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.
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.
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.
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.
The fahaka pufferfish, also known as the Nile puffer, globe fish, lineatus puffer, is a tropical freshwater pufferfish found in the upper Nile, Chad, Senegal, Gambia, Geba, Volta and Turkana basins in West, Northeast and East Africa.
Pao abei is a species of freshwater pufferfish from the Mekong, Chao Phraya the Mae Klong river basins in Southeast Asia.
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.
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.
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 baileyi, 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.
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.
Leiodon cutcutia, the ocellated pufferfish, is a species of pufferfish native to southern Asia from India to the Malay Archipelago where it is found in various bodies of fresh and brackish waters. This species grows to a length of 15 centimetres (5.9 in) TL. It is currently the only known member of its genus, but it was included in Tetraodon until 2013.
The green pufferfish is a species of pufferfish found in South and Southeast Asia. Its habitat include rivers, estuaries, lakes and flood plains. It lives in fresh water to slightly brackish water.
Dichotomyctere kretamensis is a species of freshwater pufferfish known only from northern Borneo.
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.
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.
Dichotomyctere is a genus of relatively small pufferfish found in both fresh and brackish waters in south and southeast Asia. Its species were generally included in the genus Tetraodon until 2013. The largest species of Dichotomyctere reach up to 17 cm (6.7 in) in length.
