NEWS112
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Tetraodonmiurus
The Congo Puffer is one of the most
remarkableof all the freshwater puffers.
It is strictly solitary and a predator. It
prefers to spend the whole day
completely buried in the sand, with
only its mouth and eyes (which are
positioned
high
on
the
head)
protruding. If a potential prey fish
comes into the vicinity of the Congo
Puffer, the latter shoots from its hiding-
place and rips the belly out of the
unfortunate victim. The entire fish is
then devoured.
The ability of these fishes to change
color is also noteworthy. They can be
brick red in color (as in the photos), as
well as black, gray with speckles, or
marbled olive and green. They use this
ability when burying themselves is
impossible. The puffer then simply
blends in with the substrate, where it
lies inwait disguised as a stone.
The maximum length of the species is
15 cm. Although it needs to be kept
strictly solitary, the aquarium can be
fairly small, as this puffer doesn't
normally swimmuch at all.
Because of the behavior of the species,
and because it is imported from the
Congo only very rarely and in small
numbers, the Congo Puffer has not
been bred to date and external sexual
differences are likewise unknown.
Breeding reports for the Congo Puffer
occasionally seen in the aquarium
literature relate to an almost identical-
looking species,
Pao suvattii,
from the
Mekong in South-East Asia. The
Arrowhead or Mekong Puffer not only
looks like the Congo Puffer, but also
feeds in the same way. It is, however,
more tolerant of its own kind.
Pao
suvattii
(until recently the species was
likewise assigned to the genus
Tetraodon
) is a cave-brooder.
By contrast it is to be expected that
Tetraodon miurus
breeds like the other
freshwater puffers of Africa. In these it
is typical for themale togrip the female
tightly with his teeth during mating.
The eggs are released into the open
water and usually remain hanging
among plants. Unlike their South-East-
Asian cousins of the genus Pao, the
African puffers do not perform any
brood care.
Congo Puffers are very interesting
representatives of the freshwater
puffers, although their predatorywayof
life and intraspecific intolerance mean
they are suitable only for specialists.
The tuning fork-likenostril lobes are typical of thegenus
Tetraodon
.
Thismouth is adeath trap for smaller fishes.
The Congo Puffer only rarely swims in the
open water like this. It prefers to lie on the
bottom of the aquarium, buried in the finest
sandpossible.
