Species · GBIF taxon 2407418
Guineafowl Puffer
Arothron meleagrisAlso known as Golden Puffer, White-spotted Puffer, Guinea Fowl Pufferfish
Guineafowl puffers navigate tropical reefs with a slow, hovering propulsion powered by their pectoral and dorsal fins. These fish exist in two distinct color phases, either a dark body covered in hundreds of tiny white spots or a brilliant, solid golden-yellow. When threatened, they swallow water to inflate their bodies into a prickly ball, deterring predators with both size and lethal internal toxins.
Reef-dwellingColor-changingToxic
Licensed referenceNPS photo - Bill Eichenlaub / Public domain · cc0
—observations
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—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Stony Corals
- Sponges
- Sea Urchins
Predators
- Tiger Sharks
- Large Groupers
- Moray Eels
ThreatsCoral reef degradation, climate change, and collection for the aquarium trade
HabitatsShallow coral reefs, rocky reefs, and clear lagoons
Life span10 to 15 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyTetraodontidae
- SpeciesArothron meleagris
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskHigh
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is high
- Contains lethal tetrodotoxin in its skin and organs; never consume.
- Why it is dangerous
- Internal organs and skin contain tetrodotoxin, a potent neurotoxin that can cause paralysis and death if ingested.
- How to recognize a risky encounter
- Recognized by its heavy, rounded body covered in white spots on a dark background, or its bright golden-yellow color phase.
- What to do
- Do not touch or handle this fish, and never attempt to prepare or consume it.
Responsible observation
- Keep your distance: Avoid crowding or cornering them to prevent stressful inflation behaviors.
- Watch for color morphs: Look for both the dark, white-spotted phase and the brilliant golden-yellow phase.
- Observe feeding signs: Listen for the audible crunch of their fused teeth scraping coral branches.
Close Relative "흰점꺼끌복, ballon à épaule noire, ballon pintade, bankocho, botete panza rayada, botete pintado, botite, botiti, bouletang gomon, bourse-du-sable, bouvetanne, broadbarred toadfish, buntal, pufferfish, stars and stripes puffer, whitespotted puffer, 紋腹叉鼻魨" by Bruce Deagle is licensed under CC BY 4.0. To · cc-by
Image unavailableClose Relative 
Close Relative Diego Delso / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
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