Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Tetraodontiformes (Puffers and filefishes) > Tetraodontidae (Puffers) > Tetraodontinae
Etymology: Takifugu: A Japanese word with several meanings; taki = waterfall + fugu = fish; it could be also understood as taki = to be cooked in liquid + fugu = a venomous fish.

Environment / Climate / Range Ecology

Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal; non-migratory. Temperate, preferred ?; 46°N - 21°N, 119°E - 142°E

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

Northwest Pacific: western part of the Sea of Japan and the East China and Yellow seas northward to Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 80.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 56527); common length : 40.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 637)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 16-19; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 13 - 16; Vertebrae: 21 - 22. Body covered with prickles; presence of a large round black blotch edged with a white line on side just behind pectoral fin (Ref. 559).

Adults are found in inlet waters, occasionally entering brackish waters. Fingerlings are often seen in brackish river mouths (Ref. 58920). Move offshore with growth. Breed in the sea (Ref. 58920) from March to May; attach eggs to rocks in shingly areas at depths of around 20 m. Liver and ovaries extremely toxic, intestines slightly toxic; flesh, skin and testes not poisonous. Juveniles resemble Takifugu niphobles (Ref. 637). A prized food fish in Japan. Said to be commercially cultured in Japan at present. Used in Chinese medicine (Ref. 12166). One of the first vertebrates whose genome has been sequenced completely, 31,059 genes coding for 33,609 proteins (Ref. 58917).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

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

Masuda, H., K. Amaoka, C. Araga, T. Uyeno and T. Yoshino, 1984. The fishes of the Japanese Archipelago. Vol. 1. Tokai University Press, Tokyo, Japan. 437 p. (text). (Ref. 559)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Near Threatened (NT)

CITES (Ref. 94142)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Poisonous to eat (Ref. 637)

Human uses

Fisheries: highly commercial; aquaculture: commercial

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Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805): PD₅₀ = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01738 (0.00771 - 0.03916), b=2.89 (2.70 - 3.08), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278): 3.6 ±0.57 se; Based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 69278): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.15-0.17; assuming tm<5).

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low to moderate vulnerability (30 of 100) .

Price category (Ref. 80766): Very high.

Takifugu rubripes (Temminck & Schlegel, 1850)