Bennett's Puffer, Canthigaster bennetti (Bleeker, 1854)

Scientific name: Canthigaster bennetti
  • Updated
    23/12/20
  • Read time
    2 minutes
Bennett's Puffer Click to enlarge image
A Bennett's Puffer at Marley Point, Royal National Park, New South Wales, July 2001. Image: Erik Schlögl
© Erik Schlögl

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Genus
    Canthigaster
    Species
    bennetti
    Family
    Tetraodontidae
    Class
    Actinopterygii
    Subphylum
    Vertebrata
    Phylum
    Chordata
    Kingdom
    Animalia
  • Size Range
    Bennett's Puffer grows to 9 cm in length.

Introduction

The Bennett's Puffer is a tropical marine waters fish found throughout the Indo-West Pacific. The colouration of this species is variable depending upon the surrounding habitat. It lives in a range of habitats from shallow seagrass beds to deeper rocky reefs.

Identification

Bennett's Puffer has a small mouth and a long, conical snout. It has a moderately compressed body with short-based dorsal and anal fins.

The colouration of this species is variable depending upon the surrounding habitat. In weedy areas the fish sometimes has a greenish tint. It often has blue lines radiating from the eye, a pale belly with blue and orange spots, a dark, blue-margined region under the base of the dorsal fin and a ill-defined dark stripe laterally.

Habitat

It can live in a range of habitats from shallow seagrass beds to deeper rocky reefs.

Distribution

The species is recorded from tropical marine waters throughout the Indo-West Pacific. In Australia it is know from off north-western Western Australia and from northern Queensland to the central coast of New South Wales.

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.

References

  1. Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
  2. Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
  3. Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
  4. Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
  5. Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.