Order : Tetraodontiformes
Family : TETRAODONTIDAE
Species : 206 species in 28 genera (as of 2025)

The family Tetraodontidae comprises 206 species of pufferfishes or puffers in 28 genera (according to Fishbase, as of 2025). 

Puffers are known by many other names including blowfish, toadfish, balloonfish, bubblefish, globefish and others. They inhabit coastal waters including brackish mangrove inlets and fringing, shallow coral reefs, and several genera occur exclusively in freshwater.

The teeth of pufferfishes are fused into four hard plates which can inflict a powerful bite strong enough to crush shellfish and crustaceans on which they prey; they may bite in self-defence.

Another defensive mechanism employed by puffers is their ability to inflate their body to a near-spherical shape by ingesting water or air. They are able to do this as they lack both a pelvis and a ribcage.

Many species are highly toxic, due to the presence of tetrodotoxin in the viscera; their flesh should not be prepared for consumption, except by trained chefs.

Puffers occur widely in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, with a high diversity in the shallow seas and freshwaters of Southeast Asia.

Fig 1 : Arothron manilensis (Narrow-lined Puffer) in silty, fringing mangrove habitat at Manado, Sulawesi, Indonesia. This species is associated with muddy substrates in river estuaries, brackish mangrove habitats, coral lagoons and seagrass beds. It can grow to 30 cm total length.

Fig 2 : Fringing mangroves at low-tide, off Bahowo Village, Manado, Sulawesi, Indonesia; the example Arothron manilensis in Figure 1 was photographed here.

Fig 3 : Arothron mappa (Map Puffer) in shallow coral-reef habitat at Walindi, Kimbe Bay, New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Adults of this species inhabit shallow reefs, but juveniles tend to occur in seagrass beds. This relatively large puffer can grow to 30 cm total length.

Fig 4 : Dichotomyctere nigroviridis (Green-spotted Puffer) from mangrove habitat at Pulau Ubin, Singapore. This small species inhabits river estuaries (including freshwater) and brackish, mangrove habitats. It can grow to 17 cm total length.

References and links :

Fishbase - Tetraodontidae

Wikipedia - Tetraodontidae