Species: Arothron diadematus, Masked puffer

black mask: eye to blotch around pectoral base
mouth in black blotch

Arothron diadematus (Ruppell, 1829)
Masked puffer
Body heavy, round; head large, blunt; snout short; nasal organ is a double tentacle, with minute pits on opposing surfaces of each tentacle; eyes high on sides of head; jaws are a heavy beak composed of 4 fused heavy powerful teeth with a central suture on each jaw; a slit-like gill opening in front of the pectoral fin base; a single short- based dorsal fin at rear of body; a similar-shaped anal fin below the dorsal; dorsal rays 10; anal rays 10-11; pectoral rays 18-19; no pelvic fins; no spines in the fins; tail base as long as deep; tail fin rounded, with 10 main rays; tough scaleless skin, covered with small spinules, no fleshy skin flaps.
Head and body pale brown to whitish with indistinct darker mottling; a large black blotch encloses mouth, separated by a whitish area from a black mask across eyes, with a thin extension back to a large blackish blotch centered on the pectoral fin area; dorsal, anal and pectoral fins with black base and rays; tail fin with whitish rays, black membranes.
Reaches 30 cm.
Inhabits fringing reefs; estuaries.
Depth: 5-30 m.
Indian Ocean and Red Sea; introduced to SE Florida

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Bottom only
- Habitat
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- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Reef only
- Corals
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Omnivore
- Corallivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Data
- Hard corals
- Egg Type
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- Pelagic larva
- Data
- No pelagic phase
- Global Endemism
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- Exotic (Introduced)
- All species.
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent only
- All species..
- Exotic (Introduced)
- Continent
- GC non-endemic
- Residency
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- Vagrant
- Climate Zone
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- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 30
- Depth Range Min
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- 5
- Depth Range Max
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- 30