Arothron carduus

Arothron carduus is a ray-finned fish in the family Tetraodontidae. It is an uncommon species and is native to the tropical and sub-tropical Indo-Pacific region.

Arothron carduus
Conservation status
Data Deficient  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Tetraodontiformes
Family:	Tetraodontidae
Genus:	Arothron
Species:	A. carduus
Binomial name
Arothron carduus (Cantor, 1849)[2]
Synonyms
Tetrodon carduus Cantor, 1849[2]

Description

Drawing of a Arothron carduus from 'Rediscription of the Rare Pufferfish' (Credit: Matsuura & Okuno 1991)

Side profile of an A. carduus in the shallows of the Izu Islands, Japan (Credit: Yukiko Yokokawa)

This species is characterised by having narrow black convoluted lines on a white background. It is similar in appearance to another very rare species, Arothron multilineatus from Pagbilao in the Philippines, which has narrow white convoluted lines on a black background.^[3]

^[4]

Distribution and habitat

Arothron carduus is an uncommon fish and is known from two separate locations. In the eastern Indian Ocean it occurs in the seas around Penang Island, Malaysia, and in the Western Pacific Ocean, it occurs in the seas around the Ryukyu Islands, Japan. A dried specimen found in Japan may have originated from the Philippines. This fish typically inhabits coral reefs and is found in waters shallower than 10 m (30 ft).^[1]

Status

No particular threats to this fish have been recognised, but not enough is known about it to determine its population trends and conservation needs, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its status as "data deficient". As a denizen of coral reefs, the degradation of the reefs may well have an adverse future effect on the species. However, parts of its known range are within the boundaries of some marine protected areas.^[1]