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Canthigaster valentini (Bleeker, 1853)

Valentin's sharpnose puffer
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Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
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Canthigaster valentini   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Canthigaster valentini (Valentin\
Canthigaster valentini
Picture by Wilkie, M.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Tetraodontiformes (Puffers and filefishes) > Tetraodontidae (Puffers) > Canthigasterinae
Etymology: Canthigaster: Greek, kanthos = the outer or inner corner of the eye, where the lids meet, 1646 + Greek, gaster = stomach (Ref. 45335);  valentini: Presumably after Gabriel Gustav Valentin (P.Adamicka, pers.comm. 11/09)..
More on author: Bleeker.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 1 - 55 m (Ref. 1602). Tropical; 32°N - 32°S

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Indo-Pacific: Red Sea south to Durban, South Africa (Ref. 4919) and east to the Tuamoto Islands, north to southern Japan, south to Lord Howe Island.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm 4.6, range 4 - 5.4 cm
Max length : 11.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4919)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 9. Side with two prominent dark bars extending to belly (Ref. 559).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Found among coral heads and rocks of subtidal lagoon and seaward reefs (Ref. 4919, 5503). Common on coastal reefs at various depths. Mimic filefish, males are territorial and are often seen fighting (Ref. 48637). Feed mainly on filamentous green and red algae, tunicates, and on smaller amounts of corals, bryozoans, polychaetes, echinoderms, mollusks, and brown and coralline red algae. Form shoals (10-100 or more) often with the filefish, Paraluteres prionurus (about 5% of shoal) mimicking C. valentini to protect it from predators (Ref. 4919, 5503). Territorial and haremic; males spawn with a different female each day (Ref. 9710). One or more territories are occupied and defended each by a female where a single large male stands guard (Ref. 55082). All sexually mature females are territorial females (Ref. 55082). Demersal spawner (Ref. 35298).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Oviparous (Ref. 205). Social and mating systems of this species are based upon female territoriality where polygyny results from males defending females occupying a certain territory (female-defense polygyny) (Ref. 55082). All sexually mature females are territorial females (Ref. 55082). Neither parent guards the eggs which are laid in a nest located in the female's territory (Ref. 46142). During breeding, territorial females perform the 'caudal flexing with swollen abdomen display' to signal courtship and readiness to spawn. The male acknowledges with no courtship or color displays but rather by visiting the sites frequently. The territorial female then begins pecking at the substrate in preparation for egg laying. The female initiates the spawning event by pressing her abdomen into the prepared site. The territorial male quickly lays his body across her caudal peduncle and both remained in this position for 5-10 sec. The male swims away after leaving the female beating her anal fin rapidly over the nest site to ensure fertilization of the eggs and to push the eggs deep into the algal substrate (Ref. 46142). All territorial males spawn with territorial females, depriving the bachelor males of the chance to copulate which nevertheless don't interfere with the spawning between the territorial male and females (Ref. 46142).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Matsuura, Keiichi | Collaborators

Myers, R.F., 1991. Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p. (Ref. 1602)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 08 June 2011

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Poisonous to eat (Ref. 4919)





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet compositions
Food consumptions
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growths
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversions
Recruitments
Abundances
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturities
Fecundities
Spawnings
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Egg(s)
Egg developments
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Distribution
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BRUVS - Videos
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Visual pigment(s)
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Genetics
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References

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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | DORIS | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | National databases | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | Public aquariums | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 24.6 - 28.9, mean 27.6 °C (based on 846 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.03388 (0.01902 - 0.06038), b=2.85 (2.69 - 3.01), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  2.8   ±0.30 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Fecundity = 400).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Very high.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 113 [51, 272] mg/100g; Iron = 1.05 [0.51, 2.51] mg/100g; Protein = 17.9 [15.7, 20.1] %; Omega3 = 0.13 [0.06, 0.26] g/100g; Selenium = 39.9 [18.9, 91.4] μg/100g; VitaminA = 47.6 [12.6, 189.6] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.85 [1.19, 2.80] mg/100g (wet weight);