Common Name:  Congo Spotted Puffer

Photo by:  Grover Atlas-Lee

Description

This is Africa's smallest freshwater puffer species, distinguished by dense leopard-like spotting over a brownish-green globular body. Historically well-established in the trade from the 1960s through captive breeding attempts even at that early date, but effectively collapsed as an import once Congo Basin civil conflict made collection routes too dangerous; today most stock in circulation is captive-bred (notably out of Germany and Indonesia) rather than wild-caught, with wild imports sporadic and seasonal at best. Occupies rocky, swiftly-flowing, well-oxygenated habitat within Pool Malebo, ambushing small fish and crustaceans from crevices. Unusually sociable for a puffer — one of the few Tetraodon species that can be kept in groups and even in well-planned community aquaria.

Category:   All Others

Global Region:   Africa

Distribution:   Pool Malebo, the Congo River between Kinshasa (DRC) and Brazzaville (Republic of Congo); Lua and Ubangi river systems