Tetraodon nigroviridis is one of the pufferfish known as the green spotted puffer (the other being Tetraodon fluviatilis).[1] It is found across South and Southeast Asia in coastal freshwater and brackish water habitats.[2] Tetraodon nigroviridis reaches a maximum length of about 15 cm (5.9 in).[3]
Ecology
Adult Tetraodon nigroviridis are found in freshwater streams, rivers, and floodplains; young are found in brackish water.[4] It is also found in mangrove forests.[2] Diet consists primarily of snails, but includes small invertebrates such as mollusks, crustaceans, and some plant material.[5] This species may also be lepidophagous.[5]
Genetics
Tetraodon nigroviridis has the smallest known vertebrate genome, roughly 340 million base pairs[6], and has thus been selected as a model organism for genetics. In 2004 a draft of its genome sequence was published.[6]
Commercial importance
Tetraodon nigroviridis is by no means a food fish, but has some value as bait and is very widely traded as an aquarium fish,[5] and is sometimes mistaken as the Ceylon Puffer, or Tetraodon fluviatilis. Tetraodon nigroviridis also has some degree of value as a lab animal, in particular in the field of genetics, because it has the same number of genes as human beings but in a genome about one-tenth the size.[7]
Aquarium care
While Tetraodon nigroviridis may be found in fresh as well as brackish water in the wild,[4] under aquarium conditions this species appears to do best in brackish conditions where the salinity is maintained at around 50% that of normal seawater.[2] Adults of this species may also be kept in saltwater aquaria.[2] Since these fish produce a large amount of waste they are best given 29 gallons of water or more per specimen. Water must be of the highest quality, with absolutely no ammonia, nitrites, and very little nitrates. Weekly water changes of 50% are required for optimal conditions. It is a solitary predator in the wild, and does not make a good tankmate.
See also
References
- ^ Monks N. (editor): Brackish Water Fishes, TFH 2006, ISBN 0793805643
- ^ a b c d Ebert Klaus: The Puffers of Fresh and Brackish Water, Aqualog 2005, ISBN 393170260X
- ^ Schäfer F: Brackish Water Fishes, Aqualog 2005, ISBN 393602782X
- ^ a b "Tetraodon nigroviridis". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. August 2007 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2007.
- ^ a b c "Tetraodon nigroviridis". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. August 2007 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2007.
- ^ a b Jaillon O, Aury J, Brunet F, Petit J, Stange-Thomann N, Mauceli E, Bouneau L, Fischer C, Ozouf-Costaz C, Bernot A, Nicaud S, Jaffe D, Fisher S, Lutfalla G, Dossat C, Segurens B, Dasilva C, Salanoubat M, Levy M, Boudet N, Castellano S, Anthouard V, Jubin C, Castelli V, Katinka M, Vacherie B, Biémont C, Skalli Z, Cattolico L, Poulain J, De Berardinis V, Cruaud C, Duprat S, Brottier P, Coutanceau J, Gouzy J, Parra G, Lardier G, Chapple C, McKernan K, McEwan P, Bosak S, Kellis M, Volff J, Guigó R, Zody M, Mesirov J, Lindblad-Toh K, Birren B, Nusbaum C, Kahn D, Robinson-Rechavi M, Laudet V, Schachter V, Quétier F, Saurin W, Scarpelli C, Wincker P, Lander E, Weissenbach J, Roest Crollius H (2004). "Genome duplication in the teleost fish Tetraodon nigroviridis reveals the early vertebrate proto-karyotype". Nature 431 (7011): 946–57. doi:10.1038/nature03025. PMID 15496914.
- ^ "Pufferfish and ancestral genomes". Retrieved on 2007-08-07.
|
