Arothron
Encyclopedia : A : AR : ARO : Arothron
The genus Arothron, or fat puffers, is a member of the pufferfish family (Tetraodontidae). Arothron is perhaps notable as being the pufferfish most commonly kept by marine aquarists. Also it is especially this genus that divers and hobbyists describe as being 'cute', due to their large expressive eyes, the ability to blink and vocalise and their dog-like snouts. The largest of these is the species stellatus which can grow to 48 inches in length.
All species of puffers are highly toxic, containing a lethal poison called tetrodotoxin, perhaps the most potent toxin in nature, 10,000 times more powerful than cyanide. A dose of 1-2 mg of toxin can be lethal. Reported cases from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have documented toxicity with ingestion of as little as 1.4 ounces of puffer fish. Patients with severe toxicity may have deep coma, fixed nonreactive pupils, apnea, and loss of all brain stem reflexes. Death can occur within 4-6 hours. Typically, death occurs from respiratory muscle paralysis and respiratory failure.
Fat Puffer Species
- Arothron hispidus (Poison puffer) or (White-spotted puffer)
- Arothron reticularis (Reticulated puffer)
- Arothron nigropunctatus (Black-spotted puffer)
- Arothron meleagris (Guinea fowl puffer)
- Arothron mappa (Map puffer)
- Arothron manilensis (Narrow-Lined puffer)
- Arothron immaculatus (Immaculate puffer)
- Arothron diadematus (Masked puffer)
References
- [Arothron (TSN 173307)]. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 6 June 2006.
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.