Carinotetraodon

This species is relatively uncommon in the aquarium hobby but is available on occasion, sometimes mixed in among shipments of the congener C. salivator. These two can be told apart by the fact that C. salivator possesses a series of distinct dark bars on the head and body in both sexes, a colour pattern unique within the genus. It is also similar t...

This species is uncommon in the aquarium hobby. It is similar to the congeners C. borneensis and C. lorteti but can be told apart by males possessing a red (vs. bluish to greyish with black and white distal bands in C. lorteti) caudal-fin and lacking (vs. possessing) a black blotch at the base of the dorsal-fin.

Known from the lower Mekong basin in Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia, the Chao Phraya watershed in central Thailand, and may occur in smaller river systems between. Type locality is 'Thu-dâu-môt, Vietnam'.

It is included in a group often referred to as 'red-eyed puffers', which currently contains four recognised species distributed in Indochina and the Greater Sunda Islands. It can be distinguished from C. borneensis, C. irrubesco, and C. lorteti, the remaining members of this group, by the following combination of characters: 11 dorsal-fin rays; 16 pectoral-fin rays; 11-13 anal-fin rays; 11 caudal-fin rays; eyes not bulging above the head; in males dorsal-fin hyaline, black spot on dorsal-fin base present, pectoral-fin base hyaline, anal-fin hyaline with no black spot at base...

C. travancoricus is probably the smallest species of puffer, and is certainly one of the more diminutive fish regularly found in the trade. It's cute looks, amusing personality and fascinating swimming action make it a justifiably popular import, although it's all-too-often sold without the correct information needed for its long-term health and care. It's also known as the Malabar puffer, in reference to the area of southern India that contains much of the species' natural r...