Tetraodontidae

LARSON, HELEN K., WILLIAMS, REX S. & HAMMER, MICHAEL P., 2013, <strong> An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia </ strong>, Zootaxa 3696 (1), pp. 1-293 : 236-239

Tetraodontidae

(pufferfishes)

Arothron hispidus ( Linnaeus, 1758)

Stars-and-stripes Puffer

Tetraodon hispidus Linnaeus, 1758: 333 ( India) .

Arothron hispidus — Hoese et al. 2006: 1914 (NT; Gulf of Carpentaria, N coast) .

Arothron immaculatus ( Bloch and Schneider, 1801)

Yellow-eye Puffer

Tetrodon immaculatus Bloch and Schneider, 1801: 507 (none given).

Arothron immaculatus — Hoese et al. 2006: 1914 (NT; N coast, Arafura Sea).

Arothron manilensis (Proce, 1822) Narrowlined Puffer Tetrodon manilensis de Proce, 1822: 130 (Bay of Manila). Tetrodon virgatus — Macleay 1878: 365 (Port Darwin). Tetraodon immaculatus var. manillensis — Paradice and Whitley 1927: 84, 96, 99 (Pellew Islands). Tetraodon immaculatus — McCulloch 1929: 427–428 (Northern Territory); Taylor 1964: 297 (Nightcliff headland). Arothron manilensis —Randall 1985: 352 (Darwin); Larson and Williams 1997: 375 (East Point reef; north Casuarina Beach; Elliott Point); Hoese et al. 2006: 1915 (NT; Gulf of Carpentaria, N coast). Arothron manillensis — Pender et al. 1992: 70 (Melville Island area).

Bynoe Harbour; Casuarina Beach, East Point, Darwin Harbour; Shoal Bay; Table Head, Cobourg Peninsula; Smith Point.

Arothron nigropunctatus ( Bloch and Schneider, 1801)

Blackspotted Puffer

Tetrodon nigropunctatus Bloch and Schneider, 1801: 50 ( Tranquebar) .

Tetraodon nigropunctatus — Paradice and Whitley 1927: 95 (Pellew Islands).

Arothron nigropunctatus — Russell and Houston 1989: 84 (Arafura Sea); Hoese et al. 2006: 1915 (NT; Gulf of Carpentaria, N coast).

Arothron stellatus ( Bloch and Schneider, 1801)

Starry Puffer

Tetrodon lagocephalus var stellatus Bloch and Schneider, 1801: 503 (Seas around Mauritius; from Commerson MS).

Arothron stellatus — Sainsbury et al. 1984: 349 (Region D [= Top End NT seas]); Russell and Houston 1989: 84 (Arafura Sea); Larson and Williams 1997: 375 (Fannie Bay; Middle Arm); Hoese et al. 2006: 1916 (NT; Gulf of Carpentaria, N coast).

? Arothron reticularis — Ramm 1997: 21 (Timor and Arafura Seas, between longitudes 127–137).

Vesteys Beach, East Arm, Charles Point, Darwin Harbour; N of Goulburn Island; off Point Arrowsmith; N of Smith Point; S of Orontes Reef, Port Essington; Arafura Sea; Yirrkala (AMS material).

Canthigaster rivulata (Temminck and Schlegel, 1850)

Ocellate Toby

Tetraodon rivulatus Temminck and Schlegel, 1850: 285 (Nagasaki Bay, Japan).

Canthigaster rivulata — Ramm 1997: 21 (Timor and Arafura Seas, between longitudes 127– 137° E).

Chelonodon patoca ( Hamilton, 1822)

Milkspot Toadfish

Tetrodon patoca Hamilton, 1822: 7 , 363 (Ganges).

Tetraodon patoca — Macleay 1878: 365 (Port Darwin).

Leiodon patoca — Paradice and Whitley 1927: 94, 99 (Port Darwin).

Chelonodon patoca — McCulloch 1929: 432 (Northern Territory); Taylor 1964: 298 (Nightcliff; Woods Inlet, Delissaville; Port Bradshaw); Sainsbury et al. 1984: 349 (Region D [= Top End NT seas]); Russell and Houston 1989: 84 (Arafura Sea); Blaber et al. 1992: 10 (Groote Eylandt); Pender et al. 1992: 70 (Melville Island area; western Gulf of Carpentaria); Larson 1992: 8 (Bing Bong Creek; Home Creek); Larson 1996: 10 (Nayarnpi Creek; Towns River); Larson and Williams 1997: 375 (Fannie Bay; Ludmilla Creek; East Arm); Hoese et al. 2006: 1919 (NT; Gulf of Carpentaria, N coast).

Indian Island; Finniss River; Buchanan Island; Kahlin Beach, Stokes Hill Wharf, South Point, East Point,

Charles Point, Darwin Harbour; Entrance Island, Liverpool River. Drimmie Arm, Gove; Pellew Islands (AMS material).

Feroxodon multistriatus (Richardson, 1854)

Ferocious Puffer

Anchisomus multistriatus Richardson, 1854: 160–161 (southern Polynesia; ex Kaup MS).— Sainsbury et al. 1984: 349 (Region D [= Top End NT seas]); Russell and Houston 1989: 84 (Arafura Sea).

Feroxodon multistriatus — Su, Hardy and Tyler 1986: 115 (Shoal Bay; N of Smith Point, Cobourg Peninsula; Melville Bay, Gove; Groote Eylandt); Hoese et al. 2006: 1920 (NT; Gulf of Carpentaria, N coast).

SE of Flinders Shoal; NE of Goulburn Island; N of Cobourg Peninsula; Arafura Sea.

Lagocephalus inermis (Temminck and Schlegel, 1850)

Smooth Golden Toadfish

Tetraodon inermis Schlegel , in Temminck and Schlegel, 1850: 278 ( Japan).

Lagocephalus inermis — Russell and Houston 1989: 84 (Arafura Sea); Pender et al. 1992: 70 (Melville Island area); Hoese et al. 2006: 1921 (NT; Gulf of Carpentaria, N coast).

Arafura Sea.

Lagocephalus lunaris ( Bloch and Schneider, 1801) Rough Golden Toadfish Tetrodon lunaris Bloch and Schneider, 1801: 505 (Malabar, India). Sphaeroides lunaris — Paradice and Whitley 1927: 94 (Pellew Islands). Sphoeroides lunaris — Taylor 1964: 298 (Port Darwin; Pellew Islands). Lagocephalus lunaris — Sainsbury et al. 1984: 349 (Region D [= Top End NT seas]); Russell and Houston 1989: 84

(Arafura Sea); Pender et al. 1992: 70 (Fog Bay; Melville Island area; Arnhem coast; western Gulf of Carpentaria); Hoese et al. 2006: 1921 (NT; Gulf of Carpentaria, N coast).

Buchanan Island; NE of Goulburn Island ; N of Danger Point ; N of Cape Wessel; Arafura Sea .

Lagocephalus sceleratus ( Gmelin, 1789) Silver Toadfish Tetrodon sceleratus Forster , in Gmelin, 1789: 1444 (American and Pacific Oceans). Lagocephalus sceleratus — Sainsbury et al. 1984: 349 (Region D [= Top End NT seas]); Russell and Houston 1989:

84 (Arafura Sea); Pender et al. 1992: 70 (Fog Bay; Melville Island area ; Arnhem coast; western Gulf of

Carpentaria); Hoese et al. 2006: 1922 (NT; Gulf of Carpentaria, N coast) .

Off Snake Bay; N of Smith Point, Cobourg Peninsula ; N of Cape Wessel; Arafura Sea; off Groote Eylandt .

Lagocephalus spadiceus (Richardson, 1845)

Brownback Toadfish

Tetrodon spadiceus Richardson, 1845a: 123 (Canton) .

Spheroides spadiceus — McCulloch 1929: 430 (Northern Territory).

Lagocephalus spadiceus — Sainsbury et al. 1984: 349 (Region D [= Top End NT seas]); Russell and Houston 1989: 84 (Arafura Sea); Pender et al. 1992: 70 (Joseph Bonaparte Gulf; Melville Island area; Arnhem coast; western Gulf of Carpentaria); Larson and Williams 1997: 375 (Buffalo Creek area); Hoese et al. 2006: 1922 (NT; Gulf of Carpentaria, N coast).

N of Melville Island; off Snake Bay; N of Smith Point; Port Essington; Groote Eylandt; Arafura Sea.

Marilyna darwinii ( Castelnau, 1873) Darwin Toadfish Tetraodon darwinii Castelnau, 1873: 94 (Port Darwin). Tetrodon fasciatus Macleay, 1878: 365 (Port Darwin).— Zietz 1891: 2 (Northern Territory).? Tetrodon hamiltoni — Klunzinger 1880: 425 (Port Darwin). Sphoeroides hamiltoni — Taylor 1964: 298 (Port Darwin). Marilyna darwinii — Hardy 1982: 16 (Cape Conder, Melville I.; Darwin; Nightcliffe); Larson 1996: 11 (Roper

River; Nayarnpi Creek; Towns River); Larson and Williams 1997: 376 (N side Channel Island; East Arm);

Larson 1997: 44 (Kakadu); Larson 1999b: 47 (Kakadu); Larson 2000: 51 (Middle Beach; Sandfly Beach);

Larson 2002: 42 (Middle Beach; Sandfly Beach); Hoese et al. 2006: 1923 (NT; Gulf of Carpentaria, N

coast).

Kahlin Beach, Buffalo Creek, Ludmilla Creek, Darwin Harbour; creek on NE side Milingimbi.

Marilyna meraukensis (De Beaufort, 1955)

Merauke Toadfish

Sphoeroides meraukensis De Beaufort, 1955: 53–54 (Merauke R., PNG).

Marilyna meraukensis — Hardy 1982: 12 (Mickett Ck, Shoal Bay; Cape Condor, Melville Island; Darwin); Davis 1988: 164 (upstream Buffalo Creek); Larson 1996: 11 (Nayarnpi Creek); Larson and Williams 1997: 376 (Cullen Beach); Larson 1997: 44 (Kakadu); Larson 1999b: 47 (Kakadu); Larson 1999c: 35 (West Alligator Head; Field Island); Larson 2002: 42 (Middle Beach; off Pocock’s Beach; West Alligator River); Hoese et al. 2006: 1923 (NT; Gulf of Carpentaria, N coast).

Marilyna pleurosticta (Günther, 1872)

Banded Toadfish

Tetrodon pleurostictus Günther, 1872a: 674 (Port Bowen and Port Mackay , Queensland).

Spheroides pleurostictus — McCulloch 1929: 431–432 (Northern Territory).

Sphoeroides pleurostictus — Taylor 1964: 297 (Nightcliff; Woods Inlet, Delissaville).

? Torquigener pleurostictus — Waddy 1988: 51 (Groote Eylandt).

Marilyna pleurosticta — Hoese et al. 2006: 1923 (NT; Gulf of Carpentaria, N coast, Darwin) .

Torquigener hicksi Hardy, 1983

Hicks’ Toadfish

Torquigener hicksi Hardy, 1983: 25 (33 km northeast of Cape Moreton, Queensland).

S of Evans Shoal, Arafura Sea (NTM S.13305-011).

New record for the NT.

Torquigener pallimaculatus Hardy, 1983

Rustyspotted Toadfish

Torquigener pallimaculatus Hardy, 1983: 20–21 (Princess Charlotte Bay, Queensland).— Sainsbury et al. 1984: 350 (Region D [= Top End NT seas]); Russell and Houston 1989: 84 (Arafura Sea); Pender et al. 1992: 70 (Joseph Bonaparte Gulf; Melville Island area; Arnhem coast; western Gulf of Carpentaria); Larson 1992: 10 (off Bing Bong Creek); Larson and Williams 1997: 376 (Middle Arm); Hoese et al. 2006: 1927 (NT; Gulf of Carpentaria, N coast). NTM paratype from Burns Shoal, off Point Arrowsmith. Fog Bay; Darwin Harbour; N of Goulburn Island; Boucaut Bay; Groote Eylandt.

Torquigener parcuspinus Hardy, 1983

Yellow-eye Toadfish

Torquigener parcuspinus Hardy, 1983: 23 ( Lizard Island , Queensland).

S of Evans Shoal, Arafura Sea (NTM S.13305-007).

New record for the NT.

Torquigener tuberculiferus ( Ogilby, 1912)

Fringe-gill Toadfish

Spheroides tuberculiferus Ogilby, 1912: 61 ( Moreton Bay , Queensland).

Torquigener tuberculiferus — Waddy 1988: 51 (Groote Eylandt; #4126 (CSIRO Munro coll.).

The identity of Waddy’s specimens was kindly verified by Will White.

Torquigener whitleyi ( Paradice, 1927)

Whitley’s Toadfish

Spheroides whitleyi Paradice, 1927: 105 (Port Denison, Queensland [non-type material from Pellew Islands).— McCulloch 1929: 432 (Northern Territory).

Sphoeroides whitleyi — Taylor 1964: 298 (Pellew Islands).

Torquigener whitleyi — Hardy 1983: 17 (Shoal Bay; Burns Shoal, Point Arrowsmith); Blaber et al. 1992: 10 (Groote Eylandt); Pender et al. 1992: 70 (Arnhem coast; western Gulf of Carpentaria); Hoese et al. 2006: 1929 (NT; Gulf of Carpentaria, N coast).

NW of Piper Head, Melville Island; Caiman Creek, Port Essington; W of Orontes Reef; Arafura Sea; SW

of Cape Grey, Gulf of Carpentaria.

Tylerius spinosissimus ( Regan, 1908)

Finespine Pufferfish

Spheroides spinosissimus Regan, 1908: 253 (Saya de Malha Bank) .

Amblyrhynchotes spinosissimus — Sainsbury et al. 1984: 349 (Region D [= Top End NT seas]); Russell and Houston 1989: 84 (Arafura Sea).

Tylerius spinosissimus — Hoese et al. 2006: 1929 (NT; Gulf of Carpentaria, N coast) .

N of Bathurst Island; E of Evans Shoal.