The Puffer Forum

Common names are often horribly innaccurate. We use them because they are easier to remember and often semi-descriptive of the actual fish. It's also partly born of necessity, since LFSs use common names rather than scientific names, so it's just easier to use common names.

Unfortuantely, a single species of puffer may pick up several different common names, and even share a common name with a completely different species.

For instance, I've seen Tetraodon fluviatilis called, amung other things, Green puffers, Jade puffers, Topaz puffers, and most commonly, Ceylon puffers.

Several of the common names are used for multiple puffers, and so they do not and cannot ditinguish a particular puffers. The common name Ceylon however refers only to T. fluviatalis, or should. If you use the real name - Tetraodon fluviatilis - there should be no confusion at all.