Taxonomy:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Tetraodontiformes
Family: Tetraodontidae
Genus: Tetradon
Species: Cutcutia
(Chaudhry, 2010)
Other Scientific Names:
1. Tetraodon caria (Hamilton, 1822).
2. Tetraodon gularis (Hamilton, 1822).
3. Monotretus cutcutia (Munro, 1955).
English Name
In the English language this fish is known as Ocellated Pufferfish (Bashar, 2010).
Morphology of Tetraodon cutcutua
The Ocellated Pufferfish has a broad head, with a dorsum that tapers abruptly at the tail. It has two large teeth, in its underdeveloped oral cavity. Its gill openings are very restricted in front of the pectoral region. The dorsal fin is situated right above the anal fin origin, all its other fins are rounded and the pelvic fins are absent. It has a green-yellow colour and a white abdomen, with light band between the fish’s eyes, which are situated in the middle of its head. On the sides of the fish, anterior to the anal fin, a black ocellus, surrounded by a light edge may sometimes develop (Rahman, 1989).
Geographical Distribution
Bangladesh, Malaysia, India (Khasi Hills, Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, Manipur and Orissa), Sri Lanka and Myanmar (Chaudry, 2010).
Habitat
This organism inhabits both fresh, as well as brackish water bodies (Chaudry, 2010). Therefore, it can be seen swimming through ponds, canals, beels and rivers (Bhuiyan et al., 1992).
Threats Faced by Ocellated Pufferfish
This fish is not threatened in Bangladesh and is classified as “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List; however, it is quite popular in aquarium fish, especially in India (Chaudry, 1992).
The Burning Issue with Regards to the Ocellated Pufferfish
The Tetraodon cutcutia, has become a threat in certain countries. For example, in Bangladesh, numerous people have died, due to the consumption of this fish. This is a recurring issue, since during the monsoon season, there is an increase in the deaths, due to this species’ toxicity. This is mostly consumed in poor river communities in Bangladesh, which depend on subsistence fishing for a living. In Japan, a Pufferfish dish is considered to be a delicacy and only experienced chefs have the skillset to cook it. In fact, the number of deaths in Japan, due to pufferfish poisoning, is much lower than that of Bangladesh. Certain studies, showed that the toxic levels of the Tetraodon cutcutia, are extremely high in the gonads, skin and liver (Galib, 2011). In my opinion, information and warning signs around river areas should be put up, to warn the river communities about toxic fish. These communities should also be furtherly educated on the subject and even trained on how to cook pufferfish.
References:
Bashar, A. (2010) Tetraodon cutcutia, [online], Available at: http://en.bdfish.org/2010/04/tetraodon-cutcutia/, (Accessed on: 29/11/18).
Bhuiyan, A. S., Islam, M. N. and Hossen, T. 1992. A check list of the fishes of Rajshahi. The Rajshahi University Studies Part-B, Vol-xx, p. 287-306.
Chaudhry, S. 2010. Tetraodon cutcutia. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T166426A6206677. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T166426A6206677.en. Downloaded on 29 November 2018.
Galib, S (2011) Puffer Fishes: A Common and Old Threat in Bangladesh [online], Available at: http://en.bdfish.org/2011/01/puffer-fish-threat-bangladesh/, (Accessed on: 29/11/18)
Munro, I. S. 1955. The marine and freshwater fishes of Ceylon. Dept. External affairs. Canbana Publications. XVI+ 340pp.
Rahman, A.K.A. 1989. Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh. The Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000. 364pp.
Image References
Fish Biosystems (N.A.) Tetraodon cutcutia Hamilton, 1822 [Image], Available at: http://www.fishbiosystem.ru/TETRAODONTIFORMES/Tetraodontidae/Tetraodon_cutcutia2.html, (Accessed on: 29/11/18).