''Chelonodontops patoca'', also known as the milk-spotted pufferfish, milkspotted puffer, milkspotted toadfish, Gangetic blow fish, Gangetic pufferfish, or marbled toad, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of pufferfish in 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 ...

native to the

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 ...

. It ranges from

East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historical ...

to the Western Pacific from

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

in the north to northern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

in the south. It is a tropical species that occurs in coastal waters, lagoons, estuaries, and rivers. While it does enter fresh water, the species does not occur more than a few kilometres from the sea. It is often seen in schools which sometimes enter freshwater streams. It is usually found at a depth range of 4 to 60 m (13 to 197 ft) and reaches

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish m ...

. The species is poisonous but reportedly considered a delicacy in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

References

* Milkspot Toadfish, Chelonodon patoca (Hamilton-Buchanan 1822) @ fishesofaustralia.net.au
/small> Tetraodontidae Fish of the Indian Ocean Marine fish of East Africa Fish described in 1822 Taxa named by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton {{Tetraodontiformes-stub