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| | Short body of Puffer fish is usually discreetly covered with spikes,
which in relaxed condition lie down to the body( rarely the body is
bare). Head is big and stout. Spine is wide, roundish. Maxillary teeth
joined together by forming a couple of incisive plastins in each jaw
divided in the front. Owing to presence of special muscles,
Tetraodontidae with the help of breast fins can move not only forward
but also backwards which increases the mobility of this fish.
Presence of a big air-pocket, drawn off the stomach when filled with
water or air allows this fish to swell into a balloon. When fished up
it starts ingurgitate air and swells instantly. When let off into
the water, fish for some time floats belly upwards and seems helpless
because it cannot dip. Later, releases air with snap and quickly dips
into the water and attempts to hide in a shelter. Under water these
fish if threatened and no where to hide, swallows water to swell. In
this form they are practically invulnerable. But known are the cases
that when ravenous fish died when they attempted to swallow puffer fish
balloon. They were found with ravin stalled in their mouth.
Many among pufferfish family are poisonous. Toxins mainly concentrated
in skin integument, abdomen, liver and gonads. One toxin is emphasized
and named tetrodoxin. This is a very dangerous poison, which if
happens to be in alimentary tract, causes severe pain, convulsions and
usually the outcome is fatal. Nevertheless, when skinned and abdominal
membrane is removed, finely cooked puffer fish figures in many oriental
countries, especially in Japan, where the dish is revered as fugu.
This is made from fish of different varieties, moreover the cook
should have a completion cerificate of special fugu cooking school. If
the tetraodontidae meat is cooked by unversed dabblers, in 60 cases
out of 100 die after tasting such fugu. These incidents are not so
rare till now.
Above all tetraodontidae are carnivorous or omnivorous fish. This
family consists about 9-10 genus and not less than 90 types which are
spread over in tropical and sub-tropical seas.Some types have entered
moderate warm seas too. Significant numbers of tropical fish family has
inhabited in fresh water, they are first of all several types of
toadfish genus (Tetraodon). Four types of such fish live in Africa.
Among them is the most well known Fahak(T. fahaka), inhabited in Nile,
Chad lake and in Niger river. Three types have populated lower and
upper streams of Congo river, and among them is mbu(T. mbu), with the
length of 75cm. Seven types of toadfish live in South and South East
Asian rivers, and toadfish- parrot (Colomesus psittacus) - in fresh
waters of west Indies and also in North-East part of South America,
including Amazon.
Many fresh water toadfish have become favorite topic for Aquarium
lovers, and some toadfish breed in captivity.
It had been observed that the most well breeding hapens with
freshwater south Asian cutcutia (Tetraodon cutcutia), length which is
about 8cm. After mating games when male and female of this type circle
around on the bottom of aquarium, female lays 200 to 300 transparent
spawn on stones. Egg mass is protected by male by covering them with
his body.
After 6-8 days larvae like tadpole peck out from spawn, which spend
several days at the bottom of aquarium. Male shifts them into a pit in
soil, and continue protecting them for some time.
After resolution of yolk sac, youngsters start dynamic diet by
swallowing infusoria.
Most rich family with various types is: Dog fish or
puffers(Sphaeroides, Fugu), and hare-head puffers(Lagocephalus). Some
types, for instance, brown puffer (F. rubripes) with a length of 70 cm,
enter ours coast futher north to Peter the Great's gulf and up to the
south of Sakhalin. |
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