Somphong's puffer, redeye puffer or crested puffer (Carinotetraodon lorteti) is a small freshwater blowfish found in mainlands Southeast Asia such as Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam. This fish has been collected in the past for the aquarium trade.

Somphong's puffer
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Tetraodontiformes
Family: Tetraodontidae
Genus: Carinotetraodon
Species:
C. lorteti
Binomial name
Carinotetraodon lorteti
(Tirant, 1885)
Synonyms
  • Tetraodon somphongsi Klausewitz, 1957
  • Carinotetraodon chlupatyi Benl, 1957
  • Tetraodon werneri Benl & Chlupaty, 1957
  • Monotreta tiranti d’Aubenton & Blanc, 1966

This species is often found in canal and brackish water along the coast of Southeast Asia. For example, in Thailand, it is often found hidden in dense water hyacinths in the canal of Bangkok's Thonburi, but it is a rare species. The male has a red body with red eyes like ruby and is significantly larger than the female. The size when matured about 3 in (about 7 cm).[2]

Its common name (include specific name which once used) honours Thai fish explorer and aquarium trader Somphong Lek-aree, who discovered three new freshwater fish species in the world were dwarf loach (Ambastaia sidthimunki), Discherodontus halei (formerly Puntius somphongsi) and Somphongs's rasbora (Trigonostigma somphongsi).[3]

References

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  1. ^ Vidthayanon, C. 2012. Carinotetraodon lorteti. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012: e.T181196A1708551. [1] Downloaded on 30 April 2018.
  2. ^ Wongkittiwejkul, Surasak (April 1997). สารานุกรมปลาไทย [Fishes of Thailand Encyclopedia] (in Thai). Bangkok: Aim Supply. p. 164. ISBN 978-974-89900-2-6.
  3. ^ Kittipong Jaruthanin (story) and Kamphol Udomritthiruj (photo), ตามรอย... "หมูอารีย์" สัตว์สงวนแห่งสยาม (Following the trail of... "Dwarf Loach" protected fauna of Siam), Fish Zone, Vol. 3 Issue 24 (15 May - 15 June 2002) (in Thai)
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