''Canthigaster amboinensis'', commonly known as the Ambon pufferfish, the Ambon toby, or the spider-eye puffer, is a species of

pufferfish Tetraodontidae is a family of primarily marine and estuarine fish of the order Tetraodontiformes. The family includes many familiar species variously called pufferfish, puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, blowies, bubblefish, globefish, swellfis ...

of the family

Tetraodontidae Tetraodontidae is a family of primarily marine and estuarine fish of the order Tetraodontiformes. The family includes many familiar species variously called pufferfish, puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, blowies, bubblefish, globefish, swellfis ...

. The species is commonly seen in the tropical

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

Ocean, including Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan and the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

. The species is named after the island of

Ambon Ambon may refer to: Places * Ambon Island, an island in Indonesia ** Ambon, Maluku, a city on Ambon Island, the capital of Maluku province ** Governorate of Ambon, a colony of the Dutch East India Company from 1605 to 1796 * Ambon, Morbihan, a c ...

in Indonesia.

Description

''C. amboinensis'' is overall a rather rotund fish, but it is known to be a fast swimmer that can be hard to approach. The species can reach a total length of 15 cm (5.9 inches). It can be identified by its dark brown base color, blue-green lines radiating from the eyes, dark blue spots and lines on the cheeks, and iridescent light blue to white spots on head and body, which are absent from the anus to its lower jaw. One of over 30 species within the genus ''

Canthigaster ''Canthigaster'' is a genus in the pufferfish family (Tetraodontidae). A fish from this genus is sometimes referred to as a "toby" (a generally accepted name that originated in Australia) or a "sharpnose puffer". Species There are currently 37 ...

'', ''C. amboinensis'' is rarely included in research studies and can be difficult to differentiate from other, related species.

Distribution & Habitat

''C. amboinensis'' is found in the tropical Indo-Pacific. Pairs are usually found around boulders in shallow areas close to shore and on reef patches, with females usually occupying 25 m² and males 100-175 m². Juveniles of the species are known to be secretive and are usually only seen in holes in the vicinity of outer reef flats and reef margins.

Diet

A research study of ''C. amboinensis'' off of

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

found that they have a diverse diet. They found 43.6% of

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

, 12.7% of

polychaetes Polychaeta () is a paraphyletic class of generally marine annelid worms, commonly called bristle worms or polychaetes (). Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are mad ...

, 4.7% of

gastropods The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. Ther ...

, and 3.2% unidentified in their stomachs.

Reproduction

The male tend to fertilize eggs as they hover near the nesting area in which a female is laying its eggs. Within one spawning site, the female lays her eggs for about 20–30 seconds. Females of ''C. amboinensis'' are reported to have about five different spawning bouts that last about 45–80 seconds each.

References

External links

* amboinensis Taxa named by Pieter Bleeker Fish described in 1864 {{Tetraodontiformes-stub