Species learning profile

Stars and stripes pufferfish

Arothron hispidus

Stars and stripes pufferfish (Arothron hispidus) is a saltwater fish associated with reef habitat in Indo-Pacific. It inflates by swallowing water when threatened.

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Arte original da coleção Fishdle de Stars and stripes pufferfish
Fonte da arte: Fishdle · CC BY 4.0

At a glance

Água
Água salgada
Habitat
Recife
Comprimento máximo
50 cm
Distribuição
Indo-Pacífico
Família
Tetraodontidae
Ordem
Tetraodontiformes

Observe

How to identify Stars and stripes pufferfish

  • Pale grey with white spots and dark radiating lines.
  • Rounded with small fins, a beak-like mouth, and an inflatable body.
  • Reported maximum length: 50 cm — up to about the length of a guitar. Maximum is not the same as typical adult size.

Field note: color, size, and markings can change with age, sex, season, depth, and lighting. Use several traits together.

Place and pattern

Where it lives—and how it behaves

Habitat and range

This species is associated with reef habitat across Indo-Pacific. Reef crevices provide shelter while current, coral, algae, and neighboring animals supply food.

Behavior

Uses reef habitat for feeding, shelter, migration, or reproduction.

Food-web connections

What it eats and why it matters

Diet

A species-specific mix of plant material, plankton, invertebrates, or other fish.

Ecological role

Its feeding helps shape the balance among algae, coral, invertebrates, and other reef fish..

Remember

One fact worth keeping

Stars and stripes pufferfish pode chegar a cerca de 50 cm e costuma viver perto de Recife.

Think like a conservationist

A conservation lens

Reef fish are affected by coral loss, warming, destructive fishing, pollution, and the removal of key grazers or predators.

This habitat lens is not a current population-status assessment. Status can differ among regions and change as new assessments are published; follow the reference links and local fisheries or wildlife agencies for current decisions.

Recall

Quick knowledge check

Which habitat is most closely associated with Stars and stripes pufferfish in this guide?

Keep exploring

References and further reading

Fishdle summarizes stable identification and ecology concepts in plain language. Taxonomy and population knowledge continue to change, so use primary assessments and regional authorities for conservation or management decisions.

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