Threetooth puffer
Encyclopedia
The threetooth puffer, 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
.
It is native to the Indo-Pacific
, where found at depths down to 300 metres (984.3 ft). 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 reaches a maximum length of 54 centimetres (21.3 in). It has a distinctive shape, with a huge belly flap as large as or larger than its body; it inflates this with seawater when threatened. The flap bears an eye-spot, and is inflated by rotating the shaft-like pelvis
downwards. This makes the animal appear much larger to predators, and less likely to be eaten.
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
in the genus Triodon and family Triodontidae. Other members of the family are known from fossils stretching back to the Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
.
It is native to the Indo-Pacific
Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
, where found at depths down to 300 metres (984.3 ft). Its name comes from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
tria meaning "three" and odous meaning "tooth", and refers to the three fused teeth making up a beak-like structure.
The threetooth puffer reaches a maximum length of 54 centimetres (21.3 in). It has a distinctive shape, with a huge belly flap as large as or larger than its body; it inflates this with seawater when threatened. The flap bears an eye-spot, and is inflated by rotating the shaft-like pelvis
Pelvis
In human anatomy, the pelvis is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the lower limbs .The pelvis includes several structures:...
downwards. This makes the animal appear much larger to predators, and less likely to be eaten.