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Teleostei (teleosts) > Tetraodontiformes (Puffers and filefishes) > Tetraodontidae (Puffers) > Tetraodontinae
Etymology: Tetraodon: Greek, tetra = four + Greek, odous = teeth (Ref. 45335).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; brackish; demersal. Tropical; 8°N - 5°N

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Africa: endemic to the Cross River in Nigeria (Ref. 7396, 31256, 57417, 81679) and Cameroon (Ref. 51193, 57417, 81679).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 40.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 81679)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11 - 12; Anal soft rays: 9 - 10; Vertebrae: 18 - 19. Diagnosis: caudal fin truncated or slightly emarginate, its length comprised about 4 times in SL; black-rimmed red ocelli (eyespots) on sides of adults (Ref. 57417).

Juveniles and adults are common in the mainstream river (Ref. 2829). Ventral pocket communicates gill chamber with oesophagus, allowing the fish to inflate its body like a ball (Ref. 57417). Liver and sexual organs are poisonous, but fishermen of the upper Cross carefully remove them and eat the flesh of this species (Ref. 81679). Some references to Tetraodon guttifer in the literature may represent misidentifications of T. pustulatus (Ref. 81679).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Matsuura, Keiichi | Collaborators

Roberts, T.R., 1986. Tetraodontidae. p. 434-436. In J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde (eds.) Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA). ISNB, Brussels; MRAC, Tervuren; and ORSTOM, Paris. Vol. 2. (Ref. 2829)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

Endangered (EN) (B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)); Date assessed: 12 September 2019

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5020 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.02570 (0.01193 - 0.05536), b=2.88 (2.71 - 3.05), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.5 ±0.5 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low to moderate vulnerability (30 of 100).

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Tetraodon pustulatus Murray, 1857