Map puffer

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Map puffer
Arothron mappa.JPG
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Tetraodontiformes
Family: Tetraodontidae
Genus: Arothron
Species: A. mappa
Binomial name
Arothron mappa
(Lesson, 1831)

Arothron mappa, also known as the Map pufferfish , is a demersal Marine fish belonging to the family Tetraodontidae.


Arothron mappa is a medium sized fish which grows up to 65 cm length.[1] Its body is oval shape, spherical yet relatively elongated. The skin is not covered with scales. The fish has no pelvic fin and no lateral line.The dorsal fin and the anal fin are small, symmetric and located at the end of the body. Its snout is short with two pairs of nostrils and its mouth is terminal with four strong teeth.[2]

The background coloration is whitish with dense network of black, brown or greenish broken lines,with an irradiant line departure from the eye. Depending on specimen, some dark or yellowish blotches can occur around the mouth, the anus, on the fins or anywhere on the body.

Distribution & habitat[edit]

This species is found in tropical and subtropical waters from the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific Ocean.[3] It lives close to reef drop-off and sheltered lagoons from the surface to 30 m depth.[4]


Arothron mappa feeds on benthic invertebrates, sponges and algaes.[5]


This pufferfish has a diurn activity, it's solitary.[6]

Potential Danger[edit]

Arothron mappa secretes a violent poison, the tetrodotoxin, which protect it from voracious predators.


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  2. ^ Lieske & Myers,Coral reef fishes,Princeton University Press, 2009, ISBN 9780691089959
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