Summary
Carinotetraodon irrubesco, known commonly as the red-tail dwarf puffer, is a freshwater pufferfish found only in the lower Banyuasin basin in South Sumatra and the Sambas River in West Kalimantan.
| Carinotetraodon irrubesco | |
|---|---|
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| Female red-tailed dwarf puffer Carinotetraodon irrubesco | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Tetraodontiformes |
| Family: | Tetraodontidae |
| Genus: | Carinotetraodon |
| Species: | C. irrubesco
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| Binomial name | |
| Carinotetraodon irrubesco H. H. Tan, 1999
| |
Characteristics edit
Carinotetraodon irrubesco are small pufferfish growing to around 44 millimetres (1.7 in).[1] They live in murky, acidic water amongst submerged vegetation alongside rasboras, pipefish, halfbeaks, and gobies.[1] Like other species in its genus, sexual dimorphism is apparent.[2] Males are larger and coloured brown with creamy stripes on the flanks and dorsal surface, females are smaller and mottled brown in colour with irregular markings on the ventral surface. Both sexes have red eyes but only males possess red tail fins.[3]
Red-tail dwarf puffers are sometimes kept as an aquarium fish, but otherwise have no commercial importance.[3]
In Captivity edit
It is important that the C.irrubesco is given the provision of a very soft, fine sand substrate - at least 2cm deep (0.79 inches) - so the fish is able to wallow. They will wallow at night when resting and to escape predation during the day.
They best thrive in heavily planted tanks providing much soft leafy coverage. Moss will be used for spawning.[4]
References edit
- ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2009). "Carinotetraodon irrubesco" in FishBase. May 2009 version.
- ^ Monks, Neale (2006). "The rare and remarkable red-eye pufferfish". Tropical Fish Finder. Archived from the original on November 15, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
- ^ a b Ebert, Klaus (2001). The Puffers of Fresh and Brackish Water. Aqualog. p. 45. ISBN 3-931702-60-X.
- ^ Carinotetraodon Irrubesco Pufferfish Caresheet Pufferfish Enthusiasts Worldwide