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, blowers, blowies, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, toadfish, toadies, toadle, 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.
The fugu in Japanese, bogeo or bok (복) in Korean, and hétún in Standard Modern Chinese is a pufferfish, normally of the genus Takifugu, Lagocephalus, or Sphoeroides, or a porcupinefish of the genus Diodon, or a dish prepared from these fish.
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.
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 1.2 m (3.9 ft) in length.
The map puffer, also known as the map pufferfish, scribbled pufferfish, or Kesho-fugu, is a demersal marine fish belonging to the family Tetraodontidae. The map puffer is typically found in tropical and subtropical waters from the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific Ocean. This fish contains tetrodotoxin, a potent and deadly chemical compound used to ward off predators. Despite being highly poisonous, the map puffer can be found both in the aquarium trade and certain food markets.
Takifugu rubripes, commonly known as the Japanese puffer, Tiger puffer, or torafugu, 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 model species and is in widespread use as a reference in genomics.
Tokiharu Abe was a Japanese ichthyologist and a government official of Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
The grass puffer, or Kusa-fugu, is a species of fish in the pufferfish family (Tetraodontidae). This common to abundant species is found in the northwest Pacific Ocean in China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and Vietnam. It is primarily found in coastal waters, ranging to depths of 20 m (66 ft), but is often seen in brackish water and has also been recorded briefly entering freshwater. The grass puffer reaches up to 15 cm (6 in) in length.
Reicheltia halsteadi, Halstead's toadfish, is a species of pufferfish endemic to Australia. This species grows to a length of 16 centimetres (6.3 in) TL. This species is the only known member of its genus.
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.
Takifugu chinensis, the Chinese puffer, is a species of fish in the family Tetraodontidae (pufferfish) that is found in coastal waters of China, Japan and Korea. This critically endangered pufferfish has drastically declined because of overfishing and habitat loss, but it is possibly also threatened by the widespread release/escape of aquacultured Takifugu rubripes within its range. These two species are similar, very closely related and perhaps should be considered conspecific, but they do differ in the colour of their anal fins.
Arothron reticularis, variously known as the reticulated pufferfish, reticulated blowfish or reticulated toadfish, is a ray-finned fish in the family Tetraodontidae. It is native to the tropical and sub-tropical Indo-Pacific region where its habitats include sandy and muddy seabeds, coral reefs, estuaries and mangrove areas.
Takifugu poecilonotus, the finepatterned puffer, or Komon-fugu, is a species of pufferfish, one of 25 in the genus Takifugu. It is found in the northwest Pacific Ocean at shallow depths up to 20m. It contains tetrodotoxin like other members of the genus Takifugu. This species is found in fresh, brackish and saltwater environments.
Chelonodontops laticeps, also known as the bluespotted blaasop, is a species of pufferfish in the family Tetraodontidae. It is native to the western Indian Ocean on the coast of Africa, from South Africa north to Tanzania, and around Madagascar. FishBase includes also Papua New Guinea in its range.
Chelonodontops patoca, also known as the milk-spotted pufferfish, milkspotted puffer, milkspotted toadfish, Gangetic blow fish, Gangetic pufferfish, or marbled toad, is a species of pufferfish in the family Tetraodontidae native to the Indo-Pacific. It ranges from East Africa to the Western Pacific from Korea in the north to northern Australia in the south. It is a tropical species that occurs in coastal waters, lagoons, estuaries, and rivers. While it does enter fresh water, the species does not occur more than a few kilometres from the sea. It is often seen in schools which sometimes enter freshwater streams. It is usually found at a depth range of 4 to 60 m and reaches 38 cm (15 in) standard length. The species is poisonous but reportedly considered a delicacy in Japan.
Chelonodontops pleurospilus, commonly known as the blaasop beauty, is a species of pufferfish in the family Tetraodontidae. It is a marine species endemic to South Africa, where it ranges from the mouth of the Xora River to Durban. It is demersal and found in shallow water.
Takifugu bimaculatus is a species of pufferfish in the family Tetraodontidae. It is a marine species native to the Northwest Pacific, where it is known from the South China Sea off Vietnam, the Yellow Sea, and the East China Sea. It is demersal and reaches 30 cm SL. It is known to be toxic, although pufferfish from the genus Takifugu are often prepared and consumed as fugu.
Takifugu flavidus, commonly known as the yellowbelly pufferfish, is a species of pufferfish in the family Tetraodontidae. It is native to the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the Bohai Sea, where it is found near shore. It a demersal species that reaches 35 cm SL. It is reported to be dangerously toxic to humans, although poisonous pufferfish are frequently prepared as fugu and consumed.
Takifugu orbimaculatus is a species of pufferfish in the family Tetraodontidae. It is a freshwater species native to China that is known to be used medicinally. In 2009, it was determined that Takifugu orbimaculatus is likely to be very closely related to its congeners T. coronoidus and T. obscurus based on molecular phylogenetic analyses, with genetic differences between these species being almost comparable to those between individuals of the same species.
Takifugu porphyreus, known as the purple puffer, is a species of pufferfish in the family Tetraodontidae. It is native to the Northwest Pacific, where it ranges from Hokkaido to the East China Sea. It is a demersal species found in the littoral zone that reaches 52 cm in total length. While parts of the fish are highly toxic, it is frequently consumed as fugu in Japan.
