The factual accuracy of part of this article is disputed. The dispute is about Poisoning. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page before making changes.(March 2008)

Puffer fish or blow 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 White-spotted puffer (Arothron hispidus). ... Binomial name Arothron hispidus (Linnaeus, 1758) The white-spotted puffer, Arothron hispidus, is a medium sized fish, light grey in colour with small white spots. ... Binomial name Arothron hispidus (Linnaeus, 1758) The white-spotted puffer, Arothron hispidus, is a medium sized fish, light grey in colour with small white spots. ... Scientific classification redirects here. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... 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. ... 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). ...

Tetraodontidae is a family of primarily marine and estuarine fish. The family includes many familiar species which are variously called puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, toadfish, and toadies.^[1] They are morphologically similar to the closely related porcupinefish, which have large conspicuous spines (unlike the small, almost sandpaper-like spines of Tetraodontidae). The scientific name, Tetraodontidae, refers to the four large teeth, fused into an upper and lower plate, which are used for crushing the shells of crustaceans and mollusks, and red worms, their natural prey. Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Genera See text for genera and species. ... For the Dutch band, see Crustacean (band). ... 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. ...

Puffer Fish are the second most poisonous vertebrate in the world, the first being a Golden Poison Frog. The skin and certain internal organs of many Tetraodontidae are highly toxic to humans, but nevertheless the meat of some species is considered a delicacy in both Japan (as fugu) and Korea (as bok-uh). Binomial name (Myers, Daly, and Malkin, 1978) Phyllobates terribilis, or the Golden Poison Frog, is a poison dart frog endemic to the pacific coast of Colombia. ... 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. ... Fuku redirects here. ... This article is about the Korean civilization. ...

The Tetraodontidae contains at least 121 species of puffers in 19 genera.^[1] They are most diverse in the tropics and relatively uncommon in the temperate zone and completely absent from cold waters. Pufferfish are mostly found in coastal regions though some are oceanic (e.g., Lagocephalus lagocephalus) or live in the deep sea (e.g., Sphoeroides pachygaster). A large number of puffers are found in brackish and fresh waters: at least 39 marine species enter brackish or freshwater to feed or breed (e.g., Arothron hispidus), and a further 28 species are completely freshwater fish in distribution and never enter the sea (e.g., Colomesus asellus).^[2] For other uses, see Species (disambiguation). ... The tropics are the geographic region of the Earth centered on the equator and limited in latitude by the two tropics: the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. ... In geography, temperate latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. ... Location of the polar regions Northern Hemisphere permafrost (permanently frozen ground) in purple. ... Binomial name Sphoeroides pachygaster (Müller & Troschel, 1848) The blunthead puffer, Sphoeroides pachygaster, is a pufferfish of the family Tetraodontidae, found circumglobally in tropical and temperate seas, at depths between 50 and 500 m. ... Brackish water is water that is saltier than fresh water, but not as salty as sea water. ... Fresh water redirects here. ... Binomial name Arothron hispidus (Linnaeus, 1758) The white-spotted puffer, Arothron hispidus, is a medium sized fish, light grey in colour with small white spots. ... Species South American freshwater puffer, Colomesus asellus Banded puffer or parrot puffer, Colomesus psittacus The genus Colomesus includes two species of pufferfish confined to tropical South America. ...

Distribution

The Congo pufferfish, Tetraodon miurus, a species of pufferfish found only in freshwater.

The entire Tetraodontidae family has a worldwide distribution. Its members are found near shore in shallow seas from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Many members of the family can be found in areas of brackish water such as estuaries. Some select species are even known to exist entirely in polluted water. The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one_fifth of its surface. ... For other meanings of Pacific, see Pacific (disambiguation). ... Brackish redirects here. ... An estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water which has a free connection with the open sea and within which sea water mixes with fresh water. ...

Ecology and life history

Natural defenses

The puffers's unique and distinctive natural defenses are great due to their particular form of locomotion. Puffers 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, puffers 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 puffers may suddenly find itself facing what seems to be a much larger fish and pause, giving the puffers an opportunity to retreat to safety. When lifted out of water there is a risk that puffers inflate with air. This may result in problems deflating again afterwards. When this happens with aquarium specimens the recommended course of action for fishkeepers is to hold the puffer underwater by the tail, head upwards, and shake the fish gently until the air escapes out of the mouth.^[2] In anatomy, the stomach is a bean-shaped hollow muscular organ of the gastrointestinal tract involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication. ... For other uses, see Sphere (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Some puffers 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 puffers have bright colors and distinctive markings and make no attempt to hide from predators. This is likely an example of aposematism. A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells – neurons – usually by interacting with membrane proteins such as ion channels. ... // For ovary as part of plants see ovary (plants) An ovary is an egg-producing reproductive organ found in female organisms. ... The liver is the largest internal organ in the human body, and is an organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. ... 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. ... This article is about the organ. ... The bright colours of this Yellow-winged Darter dragonfly serve as a warning to predators of its noxious taste. ...

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 is relatively fast and inexpensive to compile their complete sequences, as has been done for two species (Takifugu rubripes and Tetraodon nigroviridis). For other uses, see Natural selection (disambiguation). ... 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). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... In genetics and biochemistry, sequencing means to determine the primary structure (or primary sequence) of an unbranched biopolymer. ... This article is about the genus of pufferfish Takifugu; for the Japanese dish, see fugu. ... Binomial name Tetraodon nigrovirdis Marion de Procé, 1822 The green spotted puffer, Tetraodon nigroviridis, is a tropical fish found in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand [1]. These fish can grow up to 6in (15cm). ...

Puffers 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). ...

A curious puffer fish pressing its mouth against a camera lens at Big Island of Hawaii

It should be noted that puffer's neurotoxin is not necessarily as toxic to other animals as it is to humans, and some species of fish routinely eat puffers, such as lizardfish [1] and tiger sharks [2]. Puffer's toxin evolved as a response to aquatic predators such as larger fish, rather than for use against humans. Note also, not all puffers are poisonous; Takifugu oblongus, for example, is one of the fugu puffers that is not poisonous. Genera Bathysaurus Harpadon Saurida Synodus Trachinocephalus Synodontidae is a family of fishes known as lizardfishes. ... For other uses, see Tiger shark (disambiguation). ... Fuku redirects here. ...

Tetrodotoxin

Main article: Tetrodotoxin

The puffer's 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 puffers by bacteria, which are acquired through food. This means that puffers raised in captivity do not contain tetrodotoxin, and therefore are not poisonous until they come into contact with the bacteria. The puffer itself has immunity to the poison due to a mutation in the protein sequence of the Sodium ion channel on the cell membranes. Tetrodotoxin (anhydrotetrodotoxin 4-epitetrodotoxin, tetrodonic acid, TTX) is a potent neurotoxin with no known antidote, which blocks action potentials in nerves by binding to the pores of the voltage-gated, fast sodium channels in nerve cell membranes. ... Tetrodotoxin (anhydrotetrodotoxin 4-epitetrodotoxin, tetrodonic acid, TTX) is a potent neurotoxin with no known antidote, which blocks action potentials in nerves by binding to the pores of the voltage-gated, fast sodium channels in nerve cell membranes. ... Species See text. ... Genera Asprella Chelyconus Conus Floraconus Leptoconus The cone snails or cone shells, sometimes simply known as cones, (family Conidae), are a taxonomic family of medium-sized to large, sophisticated predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks. ... This article is about the animal. ... 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 1,200 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 has enough poison to kill 30 adult humans. This article is about the chemical compound. ... 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. ...

Reproduction

The balloonfish has a pelagic, or open-ocean, life stage. Spawning occurs after males slowly push females to the water surface. The eggs are spherical and buoyant, floating in the water. Hatching occurs roughly after four days. The larvae are predominately yellow with scattered red spots. They are well developed with a functional mouth, eyes, and a swim bladder. Larvae less than ten days old are covered with a thin shell. After the first ten days, the shell is lost and the spines begin to develop. The larvae undergo a metamorphosis approximately three weeks after hatching. During this time, all the fins and fin rays are present and the teeth are formed. The red and yellow colors of the larvae do not persist into the juvenile phase and are replaced by the olives and browns; characteristic of adults. Dark spots also appear on the juvenile's underside. Pelagic juveniles are often associated with floating sargassum, and these spots may serve as camouflage from predators such as dolphin that swim below the seaweeds. Juveniles retain spotting until they move inshore and become adults. The juvenile balloonfish does not undergo another metamorphosis to become an adult. All changes now are external and include elongation of the spines and normal body growth. Species Sargassum bacciferum, aka. ...

Blackspotted puffer, Arothron nigropunctatus.

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. ... Binomial name Arathron 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. ...

Human Interaction

Poisoning

The factual accuracy of this section is disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page.(March 2008)

Puffer poisoning usually results from touching of incorrectly prepared puffer soup, chiri or occasionally from raw puffer meat, sashimi fugu. While chiri is much more likely to cause death, sashimi fugu often causes intoxication, light-headedness, and numbness of the lips, and is often eaten for this reason. Puffer's (tetrodotoxin) poisoning will cause deadening of the tongue and lips, dizziness, and vomiting. These are followed by numbness and prickling over the body, rapid heart rate, decreased blood pressure, and muscle paralysis. Death results from suffocation as diaphragm muscles are paralyzed. Patients who live longer than 24 hours are expected to survive, although the poison can cause comas lasting several days. Many people report being fully conscious during the entirety of the coma, and can often remember everything that was said while they were supposedly unconscious.^{[citation needed]} In Voodoo, puffer's poison must be ingested by the victim for the black magic of creating "zombies," most likely because of the pseudocomatose effect.^[3] For other uses, see Fugu (disambiguation). ... Tetrodotoxin (anhydrotetrodotoxin 4-epitetrodotoxin, tetrodonic acid, TTX) is a potent neurotoxin with no known antidote, which blocks action potentials in nerves by binding to the pores of the voltage-gated, fast sodium channels in nerve cell membranes. ... Look up diaphragm in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Voodoo is a religious tradition originating in West Africa, which became prominent in the New World due to the importation of African slaves. ... For other uses, see Black magic (disambiguation). ... For other uses see Zombie (disambiguation) A zombie is a kind of undead, or figuratively, a very apathetic person. ...

Pufferfish, called pakpao, are also consumed in Thailand, usually by mistake, at times these fish are eaten because they are cheaper to buy, and there is little awareness or monitoring of the situation. Patients are regularly hospitalized or die as there are no specific preparations to remove the toxin before eating.

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 puffers. Cases of neurologic symptoms, including numbness and tingling of the lips and mouth, have been reported to arise rapidly after the consumption of puffers 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 puffers 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. ...

Drug development

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. Chronic pain was originally defined as pain that has lasted 6 months or longer. ...

See also

• Fugu, the Japanese dish containing puffers meat, famous for its potential toxicity.
• Neurotoxin
• Tetrodotoxin

Fuku redirects here. ... Tetrodotoxin (anhydrotetrodotoxin 4-epitetrodotoxin, tetrodonic acid, TTX) is a potent neurotoxin with no known antidote, which blocks action potentials in nerves by binding to the pores of the voltage-gated, fast sodium channels in nerve cell membranes. ... A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells – neurons – usually by interacting with membrane proteins such as ion channels. ... Tetrodotoxin (anhydrotetrodotoxin 4-epitetrodotoxin, tetrodonic acid, TTX) is a potent neurotoxin with no known antidote, which blocks action potentials in nerves by binding to the pores of the voltage-gated, fast sodium channels in nerve cell membranes. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Further reading

• 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

Wikispecies has information related to:

Tetraodontidae

• Fugu sequencing project
• Tetraodon sequencing project
• EMedicine Article about the Toxicity of Tetrodotoxin
• FishBase listing for Tetraodontidae
• Article regarding Tectin's use in pain relief
• A single "at-a-glance" comparison chart of the puffers of fresh and brackish aquaria