Valentinni's sharpnose puffer
Encyclopedia
Valentinni's sharpnose puffer, Canthigaster valentini, is a pufferfish
of the genus Canthigaster
, and can be found in reefs throughout the Pacific Ocean
and Indian Ocean
. It reaches a maximum length of 11 cm. It is also referred to as a black saddled toby.
It has four distinct black stripes (saddles) on its back. The head is blue-grey and the main body is white speckled with blue-grey spots. The tail and fins show hints of yellow and there is a rainbow streek of color behind the eyes.
It feeds mainly on algae.
Valentinni's sharpnose puffer is highly poisonous to eat.
C. valentini are occasionally found in schools together with Paraluteres prionurus, a non-toxic filefish which has evolved
to mimic the very toxic C. valentini for protection against predators.
Pufferfish
Tetraodontidae is a family of primarily marine and estuarine fish of the Tetraodontiformes order. The family includes many familiar species which are variously called pufferfish, balloonfish, blowfish, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, toadfish, toadies, honey toads, sugar toads, and sea squab...
of the genus Canthigaster
Canthigaster
Canthigaster is a genus in the pufferfish family .- Species :* Spider-eye puffer, Canthigaster amboinensis * Bennett's sharpnose puffer, Canthigaster bennetti...
, and can be found in reefs throughout the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. It reaches a maximum length of 11 cm. It is also referred to as a black saddled toby.
It has four distinct black stripes (saddles) on its back. The head is blue-grey and the main body is white speckled with blue-grey spots. The tail and fins show hints of yellow and there is a rainbow streek of color behind the eyes.
It feeds mainly on algae.
Valentinni's sharpnose puffer is highly poisonous to eat.
C. valentini are occasionally found in schools together with Paraluteres prionurus, a non-toxic filefish which has evolved
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
to mimic the very toxic C. valentini for protection against predators.