Edit Colomesus psittacus
You can suggest changes to this profile. A moderator will review each change.
Name
Scientific name
Colomesus psittacus
Described by
Authority Bloch & Schneider, Year 1801, Bracketed
Family
Tetraodontidae
Common names
Banded Puffer
Photograph credits
All 1 credited
Summary
The banded puffer, Colomesus psittacus, is a large puffer of coastal waters from Colombia and Venezuela through the Guianas to northeastern…
Size and aquarium
Maximum size
290mm, standard length
Aquarium size
Minimum length 180 cm, Minimum depth 60 cm, Minimum height 60 cm
Water
Water conditions
Temperature 20–26°C, pH 7–9
Hardness
10–25dGH
Conductivity
Not recorded
Behaviour
Temperament
Not recorded
Social needs
Solitary or specimen
Community suitability
Not for a community
Where it lives
Countries, regions, rivers and lakes
Bahamas, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, French Guiana, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Amazon, Orinoco
Writing
Etymology
Colomesus: from the Ancient Greek χωλóς (cholós), meaning 'physically defective, crippled', and μέσος (mésos), meaning 'middle', presumably in reference to the…
Distribution
This species' known range extends eastwards from the Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona in Magdalena Department, Colombia, across northern Venezuela, the Gulf of …
Habitat
Although it does penetrate the lower basins of rivers, particularly the Amazon where it has been collected from the rio Xingu several hundred kilometres from i…
Aquarium size
An aquarium measuring 180 ∗ 60 ∗ 60 cm is suggested as a bare minimum, but even this may prove too small for long-term care.
Maintenance
Choice of décor is not especially critical though it should be maintained in a well-decorated set-up, perhaps containing some driftwood roots or branches in or…
Water conditions
Not written yet
Diet
Chiefly carnivorous and feeds almost exclusively on molluscs and crustaceans such as Cirripedia (barnacles) and Brachyuran crabs, taking increasingly mobile pr…
Behaviour and compatibility
Juveniles apparently form loose aggregations in the wild, but in the confines of an aquarium this species is likely to prove aggressive in all but the largest …
Sexual dimorphism
Unknown.
Reproduction
Unrecorded.
Notes
This species is also referred to as 'parrot puffer' in the ornamental trade, although it is not a popular aquarium fish. Within the genus Colomesus, it can be …
References
References
10 on this profile