Milkspotted puffer
Chelonodon patoca
- Usual depth0–22 m
- Water temperature24–30 °C
- Best monthsAugust, September, and October
- How commonOccasional
About this species
Chelonodontops patoca, also known as the milk-spotted pufferfish, milkspotted puffer, milkspotted toadfish, Gangetic blow fish, Gangetic pufferfish, or marbled toad, is a species of pufferfish in the family Tetraodontidae native to the Indo-Pacific. It ranges from East Africa to the Western Pacific from Korea in the north to northern Australia in the south. It is a tropical species that occurs in coastal waters, lagoons, estuaries, and rivers. While it does enter fresh water, the species does not occur more than a few kilometres from the sea. It is often seen in schools which sometimes enter freshwater streams. It is usually found at a depth range of 4 to 60 m and reaches 38 cm (15 in) standard length. The species is poisonous but reportedly considered a delicacy in Japan.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Chelonodontops patoca”, 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: 6 records
- February: 11 records
- March: 21 records
- April: 27 records
- May: 27 records
- June: 16 records
- July: 22 records
- August: 31 records
- September: 43 records
- October: 30 records
- November: 25 records
- December: 15 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 0–22 m · Deepest record: 43 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 24–30 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Milkspotted puffer, Bengal Reticulated Puffer, marbled toado, milkspotted puffer
Names in 1 more languages
- Japanese
- オキナワフグ
Other scientific names: Arothron kappa, Cheilichthys kappa, Chelondon patoca, Chelonodon potoca, Chelonodontops bengalensis, Chelonodontops patoca, Leiodon patoca, Tetraodon bourouensis, Tetraodon dorsounicolor, Tetraodon fornicatum, Tetraodon hartlaubii, Tetraodon maculatus, Tetraodon patoca, Tetrodon dissutidens, Tetrodon patoca
Similar species
Bristly pufferArothron hispidus
Guineafowl pufferArothron meleagris
- Silverstripe blaasop
Lagocephalus sceleratus
Narrow-lined toadfishArothron immaculatus
Narrow-lined PufferArothron manilensis
Map pufferArothron mappa
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).
- 537 open-data records from 1822 to 2023.
- Species data updated October 26, 2026.
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