Bluespotted Toby

Canthigaster epilampra

Fish
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth16–116 m
Water temperature25–30 °C
Best monthsMay, July, and August
How commonRare

Photo credit: (c) jeyre, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

Canthigaster epilampra, known as the lantern toby, is a species of pufferfish in the family Tetraodontidae. It is an Indo-Pacific species that ranges from Christmas Island in the west to the Hawaiian and Society Islands in the east, the Ryukyu Islands in the north, and Tonga and Rarotonga in the south. It inhabits outer reef slopes at a depth of 6 to 60 m, and it is usually seen at depths greater than 24 m (79 ft). It reaches 12 cm in total length, and it feeds on mollusks, echinoderms, brachiopods, and algae. The species is usually encountered alone or in pairs.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Canthigaster epilampra”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 12 records
February: 9 records
March: 10 records
April: 15 records
May: 16 records
June: 11 records
July: 16 records
August: 21 records
September: 12 records
October: 11 records
November: 10 records
December: 12 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 16–116 m · Deepest record: 747 m

0–10 m: 2 records
10–20 m: 14 records
20–30 m: 14 records
30–40 m: 3 records
40–50 m: 2 records
50–60 m: 2 records
60–70 m: 7 records
70–80 m: 1 records
80–90 m: 1 records
90–100 m: 2 records
100–110 m: 4 records
110+ m: 6 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 25–30 °C

24–26 °C: 32 records
26–28 °C: 8 records
28–30 °C: 22 records

Photos

Names and classification

English: Bluespotted Toby, Grey-top Puffer, Lantern Toby

Names in 5 more languages

German: Laternen-Spitzkopfkugelfisch
Spanish: Tamborín pintado
French: Canthigaster lanterne
Japanese: Monkikinchakufugu, モンキキンチャクフグ
Simplified Chinese: 亮麗尖鼻魨, 亮麗扁背魨, 尖嘴規, 規仔

Other scientific names: Canthigaster epilamprus, Tropidichthys epilamprus

Similar species

Spider-eye puffer
Canthigaster amboinensis
Bennett's sharpnose puffer
Canthigaster bennetti
Compressed Toby
Canthigaster compressa
Spotted puffer
Canthigaster janthinoptera
False-eyed Pufferfish
Canthigaster papua
Spotted sharpnose
Canthigaster solandri

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
90 open-data records from 1967 to 2019.
Species data updated October 26, 2026.

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