Animal Species:Crowned Puffer, Canthigaster coronata (Vaillant & Sauvage, 1875)

It occurs in tropical (and some temperate) marine waters of the Indo-West and Central Pacific feeding on a wide variety of benthic animals and algae.

A Crowned Puffer at Flinders Reef

A Crowned Puffer at Flinders Reef
Ian Shaw © Ian Shaw

Alternative Name/s

Also known as a Three-barred Toby.

Identification

The Crowned Puffer is white with a brown saddle dorsally behind the eye and three saddles on the body. It resembles the Saddled Puffer but has orange spots and blue makings on the margins of the saddles.

Size range

The Crowned Puffer grows to 14 cm in length.

Distribution

It occurs in tropical (and some temperate) marine waters of the Indo-West and Central Pacific.

In Australia it is known from the central coast of Western Australia, around the tropical north, and south to the New South Wales south coast.

The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Click on the map for detailed information.  Source: Atlas of Living Australia.

Canthigaster coronata

Distribution by collection data

Ozcam map of Crowned Puffer specimens in the Australian Museum.

What does this mean?

Feeding and Diet

Eats a wide variety of benthic animals and algae.

Classification

Species:
coronata
Genus:
Canthigaster
Family:
Tetraodontidae
Class:
Actinopterygii
Subphylum:
Vertebrata
Phylum:
Chordata
Kingdom:
Animalia

What does this mean?

References

  1. Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
  2. Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
  3. Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.


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Tags fish, ichthyology, Crowned Puffer, Canthigaster coronata, white, black, orange, blue, green, odd-shaped, 10 cm - 30 cm, blotches or mottled, tropical waters, marine, adult,