Details
Arothron mappa
The map pufferfish is a large puffer marked with maze-like lines. It searches reefs for bottom-dwelling prey and inflates when threatened.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lives in lagoons, coral reefs, and outer reef slopes across the Pacific, the Indian Ocean. Adults usually cruise alone along reef edges and sandy patches.
Length 40-65 cm; weight 2 kg-5 kg. A pale body is covered with dark lines that resemble contour marks on a map. The rounded form, large eyes, and beak-like dental plates are typical of puffers.
Diurnal and solitary, it normally swims slowly. When threatened it relies on inflation and chemical defenses rather than speed.
A carnivore, it bites mollusks, crustaceans, sponges, and small reef animals. Hard prey is crushed with fused tooth plates.
Adults release eggs into the water during spawning. Larvae drift in plankton before juveniles move onto shallow reefs.
It is listed as Least Concern, though local populations can still be affected by habitat change, collection, or pollution.
