Canthigaster rostrata (Bloch, 1786)

Description

Size and Coloration

The Caribbean sharp-nose puffer, Canthigaster rostrata, is a small fish that reaches a maximum length of around 4 inches, growing to roughly the size of a softball at full size. Its body is typically white, with a darker brown area on its dorsal side. It is marked with bright blue spots, and its yellow caudal (tail) fin is edged with a darker line.

Swimming

Like most members of the Tetraodontidae family, the Caribbean sharp-nose puffer is a slow swimmer, because its body is non-streamlined and boxy in shape. It moves forward by oscillating its median fins to propel itself through the water. Its pectoral fins work to reduce the water resistance the fish experiences while swimming.

Habitat and distribution

Range and Depth

The Caribbean sharp-nose puffer’s observed range extends from South Carolina to the Southern Caribbean. It is usually found at depths shallower than 40 meters, though it can be found as deep as 90 meters.

Reefs and Habitats

It is most often seen on coral reefs, but has also been recorded in seagrass beds and other shallow marine habitats. Males of this species control large territories that hold the smaller individual territories of between one and six females, and males can mate with any of the females in their territory.

Territories

Smaller males of the species are often wandering individuals with no fixed home territory. The species is abundant across the Western Atlantic, but its population is currently undergoing a slight decline caused by coral reef loss.