A new pufferfish species

by | Mar 28, 2016 | Advanced Aquarist | 0 comments


A new pufferfish species


Arothron multilineatus

It strikes us that such a conspicuous, large (20 inch/50cm) fish with such a wide-ranging distribution in relatively shallow (SCUBA-depth) tropical waters is only now formally described.  It goes to show how much of the ocean we’ve yet to discover.

The diagnosis for the formal description is based on physiological descriptions of the collected specimens.  Genetic analysis has not been (yet) performed, so there’s a chance that we are actually looking at a hybrid or perhaps  more than one new, closely-related species.

Arothron_multilineatus3.jpg

Underwater photographs of Arothron multilineatus s. nov. a Ryukyu Islands, Amami-oshima Island, 40 cm TL, photograph by Kimiaki Ito; b Red Sea, size not recorded, photograph by Richard Field

  • I'm a passionate aquarist of over 30 years, a coral reef lover, and the blog editor for Advanced Aquarist. While aquarium gadgets interest me, it's really livestock (especially fish), artistry of aquariums, and "method behind the madness" processes that captivate my attention.

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