TETRAODONTIDAE


Chelonodon patoca, FRLM 30662, 4.2 cm SL

Chelonodon patoca (Hamilton, 1822)
Milkspotted puffer

D 10; A 8; P1 15 - 16. A patch of spinules on back from behind interorbital nearly to dorsal fin and another on throat and abdomen. Nasal organ in the form of a depression with slightly raised margin expanded before and behind into a pair of elongate flaps. Color: greenish-gray to brown on back with large round to ovate white spots, a broad yellow band running from chin to lower caudal fin base. Size: maximum 20 cm. Distribution: tropical eastern Indian Ocean including India and Sri Lanka and West Pacific from Thailand to French Polynesia, northward to southern Japan and southward to northern Australia; usually found inshore, frequently in brackish waters.