iPuffer fish
White-spotted puffer, Arothron hispidus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Tetraodontiformes Family: Tetraodontidae
Genera
Amblyrhynchotes Arothron Auriglobus Canthigaster Carinotetraodon Chelonodon Colomesus Contusus Ephippion Feroxodon Fugu Gastrophysus Javichthys Lagocephalus Liosaccus Marilyna Monotretus Omegaphora Pelagocephalus Polyspina Reicheltia Sphoeroides Takifugu Tetractenos Tetraodon Torquigener Tylerius Xenopterus For species see Genera articles. White-spotted puffer (Arothron hispidus). ... White-spotted Puffer is medium sized, light grey in colour with small white spots. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera Subregnum Eumetazoa Placozoa Orthonectida Rhombozoa Radiata (unranked) Ctenophora Cnidaria Bilateria (unranked) Acoelomorpha Myxozoa Superphylum Deuterostomia Chordata Hemichordata Echinodermata Chaetognatha Xenoturbellida Superphylum Ecdysozoa Kinorhyncha Loricifera Priapulida Nematoda Nematomorpha Onychophora Tardigrada Arthropoda Superphylum Platyzoa Platyhelminthes Gastrotricha Rotifera Acanthocephala Gnathostomulida Micrognathozoa Cycliophora Superphylum Lophotrochozoa Sipuncula Nemertea Phoronida Ectoprocta Bryozoa... {{{subdivision_ranks}}} See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Classes and Clades See below Vertebrates are members of the subphylum Vertebrata (within the phylum Chordata), specifically, those chordates with backbones or spinal columns. ... Orders See text The Actinopterygii are the ray-finned fish. ... Families Balistidae - Triggerfishes Diodontidae - Porcupinefishes Molidae Monacanthidae - Filefishes Ostraciidae - Boxfishes Tetraodontidae - Pufferfishes Triacanthidae - Triplespines Triacanthodidae - Spikefishes Triodontidae - Three-toothed puffer The Tetraodontiformes are an order of highly derived ray-finned fish, also called the Plectognathi. ... Species See text. ... Species See text. ... Species See text. ... Species Colomesus asellus Colomesus psittacus The genus Colomesus includes two species of pufferfish confined to tropical South America. ... Species See text. ... Species See text. ... This article contains information that has not been verified. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Species See species table below Fuku redirects here. ... Species Tetraodon cutcutia - common pufferfish Tetraodon nigroviridis - redline pufferfish Tetraodon mbu Tetraodon nigroviridis - spotted pufferfish Tetraodon palembangensis Tetraodon is a the largest genus in the pufferfish family (Tetraodontidae). ...

The puffer fish, also called blowfish, swellfish, globefish, balloonfish, bubblefish are fish making up the family Tetraodontidae, within the order Tetraodontiformes. They are named for their ability to inflate themselves to several times their normal size by swallowing water or air when threatened; the same adaptation is found in the closely related porcupinefish, which have large conspicuous spines (unlike the small, almost sandpaper-like spines of puffer fish). The scientific name, Tetraodon, refers to the fact that they have four large teeth, fused into an upper and lower plate, which are used for crushing the shells of crustaceans and mollusks, their natural prey. They also enjoy the occasional bloodworm. Female pufferfish lay huge numbers of eggs, up to 200,000 per fish. The tiny, orange eggs stick to each other and settle to the bottom in huge masses. They hatch in about five days. When first born the larvae are brightly colored and begin feeding three days after they hatch. Young puffers are capable of inflating at seven days old when they are less than a half-inch long. A giant grouper at the Georgia Aquarium Fish are aquatic vertebrates that are typically cold-blooded; covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins. ... Families Balistidae - Triggerfishes Diodontidae - Porcupinefishes Molidae Monacanthidae - Filefishes Ostraciidae - Boxfishes Tetraodontidae - Pufferfishes Triacanthidae - Triplespines Triacanthodidae - Spikefishes Triodontidae - Three-toothed puffer The Tetraodontiformes are an order of highly derived ray-finned fish, also called the Plectognathi. ... Genera Allomycterus Chilomycterus(Burrfishes, Spiny Boxfishes) Cyclichthys(Swelltoads) Dicotylichthys Diodon(Porcupinefishes) Lophodiodon Lyosphaera Tragulichthys The Porcupinefish is a fish of the family Diodontidae (order Tetraodontiformes). ... Classes & Subclasses Branchiopoda Phyllopoda Sarsostraca Remipedia Cephalocarida Maxillopoda Thecostraca Tantulocarida Branchiura Pentastomida Mystacocarida Copepoda Ostracoda Myodocopa Podocopa Malacostraca Phyllocarida Hoplocarida Eumalacostraca The crustaceans (Crustacea) are a large group of arthropods, comprising approximately 52,000 described species [1], and are usually treated as a subphylum [2].They include various familiar animals... Classes Caudofoveata Aplacophora Polyplacophora Monoplacophora Bivalvia Scaphopoda Gastropoda Cephalopoda † Rostroconchia The mollusks or molluscs are the large and diverse phylum Mollusca, which includes a variety of familiar creatures well-known for their decorative shells or as seafood. ...

The eyes and internal organs of most puffer fish are highly toxic, but nevertheless the meat is considered a delicacy in Japan and Korea. The name Fugu is used both for the fish that are eaten and for their meat. The Korean term for this fish is "boh-guh" fish. Toxic redirects here, but this is also the name of a song by Britney Spears; see Toxic (song) Look up toxic and toxicity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Korea (Korean: 한국 or 조선, see below) is a geographic area, civilization, and former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. ... Species See species table below Fuku redirects here. ...

There are 185 known species of the family Tetraodontidae, of which 38 can be found in Japan. They can be found worldwide from about 45° latitude north to 45° latitude south, mostly in salt water near coral reefs or the shore, but some species also live in fresh water and brackish water. In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biodiversity. ... Latitude, usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter phi, , gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the equator. ... Sea water is water from a sea or ocean. ... Some of the biodiversity of a coral reef. ... For the village on the Isle of Wight, see Freshwater, Isle of Wight. ... Brackish redirects here. ...

Tetrodotoxin is a powerful neurotoxin that can cause death in nearly 60% of the humans that ingest it. A human only has to ingest a few milligrams for a fatal reaction to the toxin to occur. Once consumed the toxin blocks the sodium channels in the nervous tissues, ultimately paralyzing the muscle tissue. Curiously, the toxin seems not to be synthesized by the fish itself, but by bacteria associated with the fish. The fish has a mutation in its own sodium channels which makes it resistant to the effect of the toxin. Tetrodotoxin (anhydrotetrodotoxin 4-epitetrodotoxin, tetrodonic acid, TTX) is a potent neurotoxin, which blocks action potentials in nerves by binding to the pores of the voltage-gated sodium channels in nerve cell membranes. ...

Natural defenses

The puffer fish's unique and distinctive natural defenses are necessary due to their particular form of locomotion. Puffer fish use a combination of pectoral, dorsal, anal, and caudal fins for propulsion that make them highly maneuverable but very slow, and therefore comparatively easy targets for predators. As a defense mechanism, puffer fish have the ability to inflate rapidly, filling their extremely elastic stomachs with water (or air when outside the water) until they are almost spherical in shape. Thus, a hungry predator stalking the puffer fish may suddenly find itself facing what seems to be a much larger fish and pause, giving the puffer fish an opportunity to retreat to safety. In anatomy, the stomach (in ancient Greek στόμαχος) is an organ of the gastrointestinal tract involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication. ... A sphere (< Greek σφαίρα) is a perfectly symmetrical geometrical object. ...

Some puffer fish also produce a powerful neurotoxin in their internal organs, making them an unpleasant, possibly lethal, meal for any predatory fish that eats one. This neurotoxin is found primarily in the ovaries and liver, although smaller amounts exist in the intestines and skin, as well as trace amounts in muscle tissue and in its blood. Many puffer fish have bright colors and distinctive markings and make no attempt to hide from predators. This is likely an example of aposematism, where the puffer fish advertises to potential predators that it is not safe to eat. Obviously being poisonous does not help the puffer fish once it has been eaten, so the evolutionary mechanism at work benefits the species, with predators learning that puffer fish are at least distasteful and probably sickening, and so avoided next time that predator encounters that species of puffer fish. Even if a larger fish swallows one, the pufferfish can still chew its way out. (Darwin notes this in The Voyage Of The Beagle).^{[citation needed]} It has been suggested that Neurotoxicity be merged into this article or section. ... Human female internal reproductive anatomy Ovaries are egg-producing reproductive organs found in female organisms. ... The liver is an organ in some animals, including mammals (and therefore humans), birds, and reptiles. ... The intestine is the portion of the alimentary canal extending from the stomach to the anus and, in humans and other mammals, consists of two segments, the small intestine and the large intestine. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Epidermis (skin). ... The bright colours of this Yellow-winged Darter dragonfly serve as a warning to predators of its noxious taste. ...

It should be noted that puffer fish toxin is not necessarily as toxic to other animals as it is to humans, and some species of fish routinely eat puffer fish, such as lizardfish [1] and tiger sharks [2]. Puffer fish toxin evolved as a response to aquatic predators such as larger fish, rather than for use against humans. Note also, not all puffer fish are poisonous; Takifugu oblongus, for example, is one of the fugu puffer fish that is not poisonous. Genera Bathysaurus Harpadon Saurida Synodus Trachinocephalus Synodontidae is a family of fishes known as lizardfishes. ... Binomial name Galeocerdo cuvier Péron & Lesueur 1822 Tiger shark range The tiger shark, Galeocerdo cuvier, one of the largest sharks, is the only member of the genus Galeocerdo. ... Species See species table below Fuku redirects here. ...

A dwarf puffer, approx 1/2 inch.

Image File history File links Puffy_Feb_2006_small. ... Image File history File links Puffy_Feb_2006_small. ...

Puffer fish toxin

Puffer fish toxin is called tetrodotoxin, or more precisely anhydrotetrodotoxin 4-epitetrodotoxin. It is also found within other animals such as the Blue-Ringed Octopus, Cone Snail, and in certain varieties of newt. Tetrodotoxin is produced within the puffer fish by bacteria, which are acquired through food. This means that puffer fish raised in captivity do not contain tetrodotoxin, and therefore are not poisonous until they come into contact with the bacteria. The puffer fish itself has immunity to the poison due to a mutation in the protein sequence of the sodium channel pump on the cell membranes. Tetrodotoxin (anhydrotetrodotoxin 4-epitetrodotoxin, tetrodonic acid, TTX) is a potent neurotoxin, which blocks action potentials in nerves by binding to the pores of the voltage-gated sodium channels in nerve cell membranes. ... Species Hapalochlaena fasciata Hapalochlaena lunulata Hapalochlaena maculosa Hapalochlaena nierstraszi (disputed) The blue-ringed octopuses (genus Hapalochlaena) are three or four small octopus species that live in tide pools in the Pacific, in places from Japan to Australia. ... Genera Asprella Chelyconus Conus Floraconus Leptoconus The cone snails or cone shells (Conidae) are marine snails found in coral reefs. ... Eft redirects here. ... Sodium channels (also known as voltage-gated sodium channels) are integral membrane proteins that are localized in and conduct sodium ions (Na+) through a cells plasma membrane. ...

Tetrodotoxin is an exceptionally lethal poison. Tetrodotoxin is approximately 1200 times deadlier than cyanide. In animal studies with mice, 8 μg tetrodotoxin per kilogram of body weight killed 50% of the mice (see also LD50). It is estimated that a single puffer fish has enough poison to kill 30 adult humans. The cyanide ion, CN−. From the top: 1. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with human weight. ... An LD50 test being administered In toxicology, the LD50 or colloquially semilethal dose of a particular substance is a measure of how much constitutes a lethal dose. ...

Puffer fish poisoning

Puffer fish poisoning usually occurs as a result of accidental consumption of fish or meat tainted with puffer fish. Treatment consists of supportive care and intestinal decontamination with gastric lavage and activated charcoal. Case reports suggest that anticholinesterases such as edrophonium may be effective. Gastric lavage, also commonly called a stomach pump, is the process of cleaning out the contents of the stomach. ... Activated carbon (also called activated charcoal) is the more general term which includes material mostly derived from charcoal. ... An anticholinesterase is a chemical that inhibits a cholinesterase enzyme from breaking down acetylcholine, so increasing both the level and duration of action of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. ... Sources Brenner, G. M. (2000). ...

Saxitoxin, the cause of PSP (paralytic shellfish poisoning, red tide), can also be found in puffer fish. Cases of neurologic symptoms, including numbness and tingling of the lips and mouth, have been reported to arise rapidly after the consumption of puffer fish caught in the area of Titusville, Florida. These symptoms are generally resolved within hours to days, although one affected individual required intubation for 72 hours. As a result of such cases, Florida banned the harvesting of puffer fish from certain bodies of water. Saxitoxin (STX) is a neurotoxin found in marine dinoflagellates (algae). ... 4 distinct shellfish-poisoning syndromes have been identified: Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) Neurologic shellfish poisoning (NSP) Diarrheal shellfish poisoning (DSP) Amnestic shellfish poisoning (ASP) All 4 syndromes share some common features and primarily are associated with bivalve mollusks (eg, mussels, clams, oysters, scallops). ... A red tide off the coast of La Jolla, California. ... Titusville is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. ...

A drug called Tectin that is derived from tetrodotoxin is being developed as a potent pain reliever. Administered in very small quantities it can bring relief to those suffering from intense chronic pain, such as that experienced by some cancer patients. Other uses, such as helping opiate addicts through withdrawal, are also being studied. Tectinâ„¢ is the brand name of a pain killing drug currently in development that is derived from the pufferfish. ... Chronic pain was originally defined as pain that has lasted 6 months or longer. ...

Location

Coming from all over the world, it can sometimes be difficult to find the blowfish’s origin. It is found in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans; certain species can also be found in freshwater streams and rivers.

Other facts

Blackspotted puffer, Arothron nigropunctatus.

Due to some unknown selection pressure, intronic and extragenic sequences have been drastically reduced within this family. As a result, they have the smallest-known genomes yet found amongst the vertebrate animals, while containing a genetic repertoire very similar to other fish and thus comparable to vertebrates generally. Since these genomes are relatively compact it's relatively fast and inexpensive to compile their complete sequences, as has been done for two species (Takifugu rubripes and Tetraodon nigroviridis). Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1686x1272, 664 KB) Black-spotted puffer (Arothron nigropunctatus) at Bristol Zoo, Bristol, England. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1686x1272, 664 KB) Black-spotted puffer (Arothron nigropunctatus) at Bristol Zoo, Bristol, England. ... Binomial name Arothron nigropunctatus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) The blackspotted puffer, Arothron nigropunctatus, is a pufferfish of the genus Arothron, and can be found in reefs throughout the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean. ... Species See text. ... The Galápagos Islands hold 13 species of finches that are closely related and differ most markedly in the shape of their beaks. ... Diagram of the location of introns and exons within a gene. ... It has been suggested that junk DNA be merged into this article or section. ... In biology the genome of an organism is the whole hereditary information of an organism that is encoded in the DNA (or, for some viruses, RNA). ... Classes and Clades See below Vertebrates are members of the subphylum Vertebrata (within the phylum Chordata), specifically, those chordates with backbones or spinal columns. ... In genetics and biochemistry, sequencing means to determine the primary structure (or primary sequence) of an unbranched biopolymer. ...

Puffer fish are also one of few kinds of fish that can blink or close their eyes.

Puffer fish are able to move their eyes independently, and many species can change the color or intensity of their patterns in response to environmental changes. In these respects they are somewhat similar to the terrestrial Chameleon. For other uses, see Chameleon (disambiguation). ...

Trivia

• Puffy the puffer fish has been designated as the mascot of the OpenBSD project.
• Bloat, voiced by Brad Garrett, is a puffer fish in Finding Nemo.
• Sykes, voiced by Martin Scorsese, is a puffer fish in Shark Tale.
• Dolphins have been observed using puffer fish as a sort of toy in the wild. They tease the puffer fish with their teeth, causing the small fish to become alarmed and then inflate. After a while the fish calms down and deflates, thus starting the cycle over again. It is speculated that dolphins may also enjoy the mild numbing effect from small amounts of the puffer fish toxin.
• The covers of the books "Understanding Japanese Information Processing" and "Understanding CJKV Information processing" by Ken Lunde, published by O'Reilly, feature an engraving of a puffer fish.
• When lifted out of water, puffer fish can inflate with air, but they may have problems deflating again afterwards. When this happens with aquarium specimens, fishkeepers hold the puffer underwater by the tail, head upwards, and shake the fish gently until the air escapes out of the mouth.

Puffy, cartoon style Puffy is the mascot of the free operating system OpenBSD. Puffy is a porcupinefish, which is used to signify the intention of the developers to make an impregnably secure operating system. ... A mascot, originally a fetish-like term for any person, animal, or thing supposed to bring luck, is now something—typically an animal or human character—used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team (the name often corresponds with the mascot... OpenBSD is a freely available Unix-like computer operating system descended from Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD), a Unix derivative developed at the University of California, Berkeley. ... Brad Garrett (born April 14, 1960 in Woodland Hills, California, USA) is a three-time Emmy Award-winning, American actor and comedian best known for his role as Robert Barone on the television sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. ... This article or section contains a plot summary that may be overly long, confusing, or ambiguous. ... Martin Luciano Scorsese (born November 17, 1942) is an iconic American film director. ... Shark Tale is an Academy Award nominated computer-animated film produced by DreamWorks Animation, and was released in motion picture theatres around October 1, 2004. ... This article is about the dolphin mammal. ... A teddy bear A toy is an object meant to be played with. ... Fishkeeping is a popular hobby concerned with keeping fish in the home aquarium or garden pond. ...

References

• Arreola, V.I., and M.W. Westneat. 1996. Mechanics of propulsion by multiple fins: kinematics of aquatic locomotion in the burrfish (Chilomycterus schoepfi). Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 263: 1689–1696.
• Ebert, Klaus (2001): The Puffers of Fresh and Brackish Water, Aqualog, ISBN 393170260X.
• Gordon, M.S., Plaut, I., and D. Kim. 1996. How puffers (Teleostei: Tetraodontidae) swim. Journal of Fish Biology 49: 319–328.
• Plaut, I. and T. Chen. 2003. How small puffers (Teleostei: Tetraodontidae) swim. Ichthyological Research 50: 149–153.

External links

• The Puffer Encyclopedia
• Fugu sequencing project
• Tetraodon sequencing project
• EMedicine Article about the Toxicity of Tetrodotoxin
• Half Japanese half English page with Information about the species and their toxicity
• Extensive List of all Genus and Species for the family Tetraodontidae
• FishBase listing for Tetraodontidae
• Article regarding Tectin's use in pain relief
• Comprehensive database of freshwater and brackish puffer fish
• A single "at-a-glance" comparison chart of the puffers of fresh and brackish aquaria