Cross River T. pustulatus?

[PuffPuffGive]

I was browsing my LFS today and found a new addition in their tank. Unfortunately, they say it's not for sale until they treat the worms on it. Can anyone confirm what type of puffer is at this shop?







Thanks,
PPG

[spoot]

I'd say pustulatus. Looks fairly sickly with the IP's. Good thing the store is treating it. What are they selling it as?

[PuffPuffGive]

The tank was marked Fahaka $34.99, but it could have been from the previous fish sold since it's being quarantined. Any idea how much it's worth once it gets healthy?

Thanks for the reply,
PPG

[Nusquam]

Quite a bit. $35 for it would be quite a steal. There was a topic a few weeks back of a possible pustulus (turned out to be a fahaka) being listed at 300 british pounds (don't have that symbol on my keyboard).

[PuffPuffGive]

Ouch $600 for a fish? There were other baby puffers about 1-2" listed at $35, and this one was at least 4x bigger so I doubt this one will go that cheap. Maybe tomorrow I'll snap some better pics of the fish with an actual camera instead of my phone.

[Martin Hi.]

hi,
looks more like a well spotted t. lineatus (no-gambian) to me. to much stripes for a pustulatus.
martin

[Hilly]

At 34.99 I'd reserve that fish now. Base colour is light, thats the best example of what is most likely to be a Pustulatus to come up here in a very long time.

[spoot]

If you have the tank for it, I would so buy that fish for $35. They are quite rare.

[Corvus]

Those pustuhakas are a good example for puffers with apparently unclear identification. In my opinion the holotypes (original specimens linked to the name) and first descriptions should be revisited to clarify the possible differences. The discussion so far is more like guessing and stating opinions.

The two french ichthyologists Lévêque and Paugy (these two scientists have probably seen more specimens than all of us together) suggested in 2003 to tell the two species appart (among other characters) by the relation of the length of their caudal fin to their standard length (total minus caudal).

lineatus should have: standard length = lenght of its caudal times 3, pustulatus times 4.

They wrote both can have red spots especially when young and lines when older.

[Jupp]

Tetraodon lineatus because they have stripes.
KÖLLE alaaf !!!

[spoot]

Is there a fin ray count difference corvus?

[Corvus]

Is there a fin ray count difference corvus?

None I am aware of, but I do not have the first descpritions here... at least I don't find them here.

[Pufferpunk]

It's a pretty puffer that is well worth the $35.

[crazedpuffer]

I think it's pustulatus. Very nice fish!

[Hilly]

Pustuhaka. I like that.