The Puffer Forum

Ive contacted an online aquatic shop in the UK who ship puffers and other fish etc.
I asked about what freshwater puffers they have in stock, and what they would be getting in etc.

I got a reply saying they would have 'Tetraodon schoutedeni' in stock from tomorrow
I know nothing about these puffers at all, except they are'nt commonly sold and can be mistaken for other similar puffers.

Has anyone more info on them, if they are more common now, and how to ID them properly?

Haven't seen or heard of one in my entire lifetime in this hobby. Most likely a GSP.
but then--you ARE in th e UK... Look for very visible, long spines on it's body.

I've read the long spine thing often (in PPs posts). However, I cannot confirm this from my memory (grandfather had some), any pictures or scientific descriptions (wanna say this might be a myth). T. nigroviridis has spikes, too, and on both species they are hid within the skin when deflated.

The T. schoutedeni looks quite different in terms of body shape and coloration. The back is mottled.
Here are two confirmed IDd pictures:

http://www.hippocampus-bildarchiv.com/i ... tedeni.jpg

http://www.52fish.com.cn/bbs/attachment ... 2a8551.jpg

More are found in the aqualog puffer book.

Another pretty obvious character is the nostrils. They look pointed like the ones of other African puffers such as T. lineatus, T. miurus, T. mbu and NOT round like the ones of Asian T. nigroviridis.

Yes, although not very visible, all puffers have spines but the schoutedeni's are very long & easily seen.

Honestly, I never saw any spines more obvious than the "tiny prickles" on a GSP.

Exactly! But have you ever seen one puffed?

Yes, but a puffed GSP also has obvious "long" spines. I fail to see how I can use the spines to tell these two species apart.

Here are some puffed GSPs:

http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Bracki96.jpg

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i53/q ... Puffed.jpg

I don't think T. schoutedeni spikes were significantly different.

Thanks, he said they are due in tomorrow
and he will be putting them up for sale within the week
so will keep an eye out, and post any pics that he puts up!

I wish I could find the pic I saw that shows those spines so visibly.

I have seen live specimens, but many, many years ago. likely late 1960s or early 70s. I even had one before I really knew what I was doing with puffers. I also remember well the pic PP is referencing - pretty much a pure profile shot, with a dark background (comparable to the second of the two shots Corvus showed of confirmed fish). That shot showed clearly longish spines on the belly, angled sharply toward the rear of the fish, and clearly visible but relatively widely spaced - almost like a shot of of a burrfish on a non-puffed fish. The spines did not in that pic show elsewhere on the body so far as I remember.

I confess that I did not think of the nostril differences - that should be an easy differentiation.

Now, I'm really curious about that picture.

I haven't seen long spines on living, deflated specimens as far as I remember and haven't found it in the few scientific publications mentioning this species (something that obvious should be included). Will look up the 1986 book on African freshwater (volume 2 I guess), which has the chapter on African puffers that should still be state of the art now, as soon as I find it again...

The coloration alone is significantly different, I'd say this is the most easy way to distinguish them.

The coloration alone is significantly different, I'd say this is the most easy way to distinguish them.

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