Dwarf pufferfish

Dwarf puffer ( Carinotetraodon travancoricus )

The dwarf puffer ( Carinotetraodon travancoricus ) also Indian Dwarf Puffer is a native to India and Sri Lanka type of puffer fish. As scientific evidence sources deemed occurrence of the Pamba River, Vembanad Lake, Minachil River, Shertallai, the wetlands around Thrissur and Chalakkudy River in the Kerala province in southwest India. All kinds of Carinotetraodon and Monotetre, Aurioglobus, Colomesus and a single species of the genus Takifugu ( Takifugu orbimaculatus ) are true freshwater puffers.

He lives there, especially in herbaceous ponds and is, like all members of the family, toxic ( tetrodotoxin ). The Latin name is derived from the Latin word = Carina Kiel and from the Greek words tetra = four and Odous = tooth (family Tetraodontidae = Vierzähner ). The water temperatures in its natural habitat vary from 25 ° C to about 33 ° C. The pH is in the range of 6.5 to 7.0, the water hardness of 1.6 to 2.0 DGH.

Features

Carinotetraodon travancoricus is difficult to distinguish imitator of his relatives Carinotetraodon. Both species show the same dark markings on yellow background. Overall, however, the drawing is at Carinotetraodon travancoricus denser. The most striking feature is a thick black line at the level of the lateral line, which begins below the dorsal fin and runs to the tail fin root. In Carinotetraodon imitator that line is completely missing.

Way of life

The 2 to 3 cm is very small permanent puffer fish is unlike many other puffers not particularly aggressive, but can character due to other conspecifics within an aquarium quite suppress. Its diet consists of small animals, such as mosquito larvae and snails.

Falsely are snails, especially bladder snails, described for the Dwarf Puffer by some aquarists as essential as this supposedly the very fine teeth to wear through the shell of the snail. However, one can observe well that the dwarf puffer only targets the meat of the worm and even eaten this - the shell always remains intact.

System

Because of bone studies Carinotetraodon travancoricus was included in the present genus a few years ago. Prior to that he belonged to the genus Tetraodon.