Threetooth puffer
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| Triodon macropterus Lesson, 1831 |
The threetooth puffer, Triodon macropterus, is a tetraodontiform fish, the only species in the genus Triodon and family Triodontidae.
It is native to the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. Its name comes from the Greek tria meaning "three" and odous meaning "tooth", and refers to the three fused teeth making up a beak-like structure.
The threetooth puffer has a distinctive shape, with a huge belly flap as large as or larger than its body; it inflates this with seawater when threatened.
[edit] References
- "Triodontidae". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. January 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
- "Triodon macropterus". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. January 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
- Triodon macropterus (TSN 173381). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 28 March 2006.
