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Australian Wildlife

  Starry Pufferfish (Arothron stellatus)





Starry Pufferfish | Arothron stellatus photo
Starry Puffer (Arothron stellatus). Lady Jane Reef, South West Rocks, NSW

Image by Richard Ling - Some rights reserved.    (view image details)

Starry Pufferfish | Arothron stellatus photo
Starry Puffer (Arothron stellatus). Pixie Garden, Ribbon Reefs, Great Barrier Reef

Image by Richard Ling - Some rights reserved.    (view image details)

Starry Pufferfish | Arothron stellatus photo
Giant Pufferfish (Arothron stellatus). - Marsa Alam Red Sea (Egypt)

Image by Alessandro Di Mase - Some rights reserved.    (view image details)







STARRY PUFFERFISH FACTS

Description
The Starry Pufferfish is a very large box-shaped pufferfish. Adult Starry Pufferfish are white and covered with small black spots that become more numerous as the fish grows. Juveniles are orange with small black spots and diagonal black stripes across the belly that become spots as the fish matures.

Other Names
Giant Pufferfish, Starry Puffer

Size
length to 120cm

Habitat
Adults are found on seaward reefs, coral slopes and lagoons. Juveniles are found in sandy and weedy inner reefs, sometimes over muddy sea floor and in estuaries. They swim from just below the surface to 58m deep.

Food
sea urchins, crustaceans, sponges, coral, algae.

Range
The Starry Pufferfish is found in tropical marine waters of the Indo-Pacific. In Australia it is found from the central coast of Western Australia, around Northern Territory, Queensland and south to the New South Wales central coast.

Notes
Contains a potentially lethal poison (tetrodotoxin) in the skin and organs.



Classification
Class:Actinopterygii
Order:Tetraodontiformes
Family:Tetraodontidae
Genus:Arothron
Species:stellatus
Common Name:Starry Pufferfish

Relatives in same Genus
  Stars and Stripes Toadfish (A. hispidus)
  Narrow-lined Pufferfish (A. manilensis)
  Map Pufferfish (A. mappa)
  Blackspotted Pufferfish (A. nigropunctatus)