Threetooth puffer

Triodon macropterus

Fish
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth147–343 m
Water temperature20–29 °C
Best monthsJanuary and October
How commonRare

About this species

Triodon macropterus is a tetraodontiform fish, the only living species in the genus Triodon and family Triodontidae. Other members of the family are known from fossils stretching back to the Eocene. The threetooth puffer was first scientifically described by René Lesson in 1831 and is recognizable for its large belly flap which has the ability to blend into the body when fully retracted.

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

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 13 records
February: 3 records
March: 3 records
April: 2 records
May: 1 records
June: 1 records
July: 5 records
August: 0 records
September: 2 records
October: 9 records
November: 1 records
December: 5 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 147–343 m · Deepest record: 633 m

10–20 m: 1 records
20–30 m: 0 records
30–40 m: 1 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 0 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 0 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 1 records
110–120 m: 0 records
120+ m: 28 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 20–29 °C

18–20 °C: 1 records
20–22 °C: 0 records
22–24 °C: 15 records
24–26 °C: 12 records
26–28 °C: 27 records
28–30 °C: 7 records

Names and classification

English: Threetooth puffer, Black-spot Keeled Pufferfish, threetooth puffer, Three-tooth Puffer

Names in 4 more languages

French: Bourse
Japanese: Uchiwafugu, ウチワフグ, ウチワフグ科
Thai: ปลาปักเป้าสามเขี้ยว
Simplified Chinese: 三齒河魨, 三齒魨, 大鰭三齒魨, 扇魨, 規仔魚

Other scientific names: Triodon bursaris, Triodon bursarius, Triodon macroptrus

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).
96 open-data records from 1831 to 2014.
Species data updated October 31, 2026.

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