Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Tetraodontiformes
(Puffers and filefishes) > Tetraodontidae
(Puffers) > Canthigasterinae
Etymology: Canthigaster: Greek, kanthos = the outer or inner corner of the eye, where the lids meet, 1646 + Greek, gaster = stomach (Ref. 45335).
Environment / Climate / Range
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 1 - 15 m (Ref. 90102). Tropical; 23°N - 32°S
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 10.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4919)
Indo-Pacific: East Africa south to Port Alfred, South Africa (Ref. 4919) and east to Tuamoto Islands, north to southern Taiwan, south to New South Wales. Reported from Tanabe Bay, Japan (Ref. 559) and Southeast Atlantic.
Inhabits inner reef flats and sheltered lagoons. A common inshore species, often on algal or silty reefs and among attached Sargassum on shallow rubble flats (Ref. 48637). Solitary or in groups (Ref. 90102). Feeds mainly on filamentous green algae and to a lesser extent on fleshy and coralline red algae and on benthic invertebrates. Monogamous (Ref. 52884).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Myers, R.F., 1991. Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p. (Ref. 1602)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 96402)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Threat to humans
Common namesSynonymsMetabolismPredatorsEcotoxicologyReproductionMaturitySpawningFecundityEggsEgg development
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805
= 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.02239 (0.00900 - 0.05571), b=2.96 (2.74 - 3.18), based on LWR estimates for this Subfamily-body shape (Ref. 93245
Trophic Level (Ref. 69278
): 2.5 ±0.20 se; Based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 69278
): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153
): Low vulnerability (10 of 100) .