Arothron hispidus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Common Name and Size

Arothron hispidus, commonly called the white-spotted puffer fish, is a medium to large-sized puffer fish that can reach 50 centimeters in length.

Dorsal Body Coloration

Its body color ranges from light grey, to greyish, to yellowish, and is clearly covered in more or less regular white spots.

Around the eyes and pectoral fins, these markings become concentric, contrasting white and dark grey lines that radiate outward.

Ventral and Fin Area Coloration

The ventral (underside) portion of the body is white, and the "shoulder" area around the pectoral fins is dark.

Toxicity

This species is poisonous.

Native Distribution

Its native distribution spans the Indo-Pacific region, including the Red Sea, and extends to the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Mediterranean Occurrence Record

A confirmed, recent record of the species exists from the eastern Mediterranean Sea off Cyprus.

Mediterranean Specimen Maturity Assessment

The individual found in the Mediterranean in 2018 is assumed to be a juvenile, because it had incomplete white ring-forming circles around its eyes; adults of this species are reported to have many complete white rings around the eyes, indicating the subadult status of this 2018 specimen.

Depth Range

The white-spotted puffer fish can be found at depths between 3 and 35 meters.

Habitat

It inhabits reefs, lagoons, estuaries, and tidepools.

Diet

Its diet consists of calcareous or coralline algae, molluscs, tunicates, sponges, corals, zoanthids, crabs, polychaetes, starfish, urchins, krill, and silversides.

Adult Behavior

Adult white-spotted puffer fish are nocturnal, solitary, territorial, and somewhat aggressive.