''Tetractenos'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
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 genus can be found throughout the Indo-West Pacific and Australia's southern and eastern coastlines.
Species
There are currently two recognized species in this genus:
* ''
Tetractenos glaber
The smooth toadfish (''Tetractenos glaber'') is a species of fish in the pufferfish family Tetraodontidae. It is native to shallow coastal and estuarine waters of southeastern Australia, where it is widespread and abundant. French naturalist Ch ...
''
( Fréminville, 1813) (Smooth toadfish)
* ''
Tetractenos hamiltoni
The common toadfish (''Tetractenos hamiltoni''), also known as the common toado, toadfish or toado, (formerly classified as ''Tetrodon hamiltoni''G.S. Hardy, "Revision of Australian species of ''Torquigener'' Whitley (Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodon ...
''
( J. Richardson, 1846) (Common toadfish)
Description
The general colour of the species in this genus varies, as at night they take on a deeper colour than during daytime, and, as with all toadfishes and puffers, the colour of skin changes slightly depending on the mood or stress level of the animal. For example, when a ''Tetractenos'' is in
oxygen
Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...
-depleted water, its underbelly will be a darker colour than the usual whitish-cream. The body of both species is covered in small, gravel-like
pustules
A skin condition, also known as cutaneous condition, is any medical condition that affects the integumentary system—the organ system that encloses the body and includes skin, nails, and related muscle and glands. The major function of this sy ...
(spots). Small,
sandpaper
upright=1.35, Sheets of sandpaper with different grit sizes (40 (coarse), 80, 150, 240, 600 (fine)).
Sandpaper and glasspaper are names used for a type of coated abrasive that consists of sheets of paper or cloth with abrasive material glued to ...
-like spines can be found on the body, and when the animal "puffs up" they stick out and make it feel even more rough.
Although the colour varies, ''T. hamiltoni'' is sandy to whitish in colour, with small brown spots over most of the back and upper sides, and brown bars and blotches beneath.
[Australian Museum: Common Toadfish.](_blank)
/ref> ''T. glaber'' has larger spots and blotches, and less prominent spines, hence its common name, smooth toadfish
The smooth toadfish (''Tetractenos glaber'') is a species of fish in the pufferfish family Tetraodontidae. It is native to shallow coastal and estuarine waters of southeastern Australia, where it is widespread and abundant. French naturalist Ch ...
.Tetraodon
''Tetraodon'' is a genus in the pufferfish family (Tetraodontidae) found in freshwater in Africa. It is the type genus of the family and historically included numerous other species; several Asian species were only moved to the genera ''Dichotom ...
'' or ''Tetrodon'',[G.S. Hardy, "Revision of Australian species of ''Torquigener'' Whitley (Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae), and two new generic names for Australian puffer fishes," ''Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand'', Volume 13, No. 1/2, 1983, pp. 1–48]
/ref> and is sometimes also confused with '' Torquigener''.
References
Marine fish genera
{{tetraodontiformes-stub