Yellow Sea Fan Pufferfish
Pterois volitans, also known as the yellow sea fan or spotted pufferfish, is a hardy marine fish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae and the genus Pterois. Its body length ranges from 25 to 40 centimeters. The fish's body is yellow, with red to brown stripes. The back has venomous spines, and the chest fins are fin rayed. The backfin, pectoral fin, dorsal fin and tail fin are transparent. There are several whiskers above the eyes. The snout is long and narrow, and the back is slightly raised. The eyes are the same size, and the eye spacing is narrow and recessed. The mouth is positioned at the bottom, and there is a notch in the upper jaw. The gill covers have a flat spine; the gill slits are wide. The body is covered in round scales orscales.
It typically resides in temperate, coastal areas with rocky or coral reefs, also found in bridges, sunken ships, and water vegetation. It is a solitary and reclusive creature. It primarily feeds on shellfish, invertebrates, and small fish. It is oviparous, meaning it lays eggs. Its distribution includes the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean, as well as the Atlantic Ocean.
behavior
Nocturnal, marine fish. At night, the fish slowly undulates its back and pectoral fins in the dark water. After sunrise, it hides in the shadows of corals and rocks. During the day, it rests by lowering its head and completely still. Communication between individuals occurs through touch, smell, and the secretion of chemical substances.
It is a solitary and reclusive creature. When threatened, the pufferfish will try to spread out its long fins to make itself appear larger, while also using its bright colors to warn off others. If it encounters a similarly bold fish, the pufferfish will repeatedly contract and expand its fins. Even if it falls into the mouth of a predator, the predator will be unable to swallow it because of its fins, and it will be stung by the venomous spines when it spits it out.
feeding
Pterois volitans occupies the highest level in the coral reef food web. It primarily feeds on shellfish, invertebrates, and small fish. The young pufferfish eat 5.5-13.5 grams per day, while adult pufferfish eat 14.6 grams per day. An adult pufferfish consumes roughly 8.2 times its own weight in food annually.
The peak hunting time for pufferfish is at sunset. At this time, all fish and invertebrates return to their resting places. Nocturnal fish come out to hunt. Because the animals around it are preparing for rest, pufferfish don't need to spend much energy searching for prey. They usually swim quietly around coral reefs, and suddenly attack and capture victims.
Pufferfish uses a rapid, rounded suction method to attack prey. The speed and smoothness of this process, together with other fish or invertebrates, may not have reacted. Therefore, the pufferfish can continue to hunt other unaware fish.
It may also hunt in the open sea. It observes small fish groups at a depth of 20-30 cm below the surface of the water. When the fish groups jump out of the water to avoid another predator, the pufferfish swims down to wait for them to return to the water, and then attacks.
If two male pufferfish encounter each other while hunting, the more aggressive male will darken its body color and point its venomous spines towards the other male. The weaker one folds its chest fins and walks away.
Only during the breeding season do pufferfish come into contact with others. In this case, a male pufferfish will be pursued by multiple female pufferfish, and several fish will work together to form a group of 3-8 fish.
When the pufferfish is preparing to breed, the differences in appearance between males and females will become more obvious. The male's body color becomes darker and more uniform, and the white stripes are not obvious. The female pufferfish, which has matured and produced eggs, becomes paler, and its abdomen, pharynx and snout become white. Such color changes make it easier for females to find males.
Courtship begins at night, usually initiated by the male. When the male pufferfish finds a female pufferfish, the male lies on the seabed, looking up at the surface with its eyes, and uses its pectoral fins to support itself. After circling the female a few times, the male swims towards the surface, and the female follows, and during the process, the male shakes its chest fins. Before mating, the two pufferfish may float up and down in the water several times, and the final one ends with the two fish swirling under the water surface. The female pufferfish then releases its eggs.
The male pufferfish becomes exceptionally excited and irritable during the courtship period. When other male pufferfish or non-fish species enter its territory, the male pufferfish will point its venomous spines towards the intruder and move around it in a predatory shaking posture. Then, the two males will 'sit' face to face, and the attacker will use the predatory shaking posture to demonstrate to the intruder, and then the attacker shakes its head to try to bite the intruder. At this time, the attacker either gets severely stung or continues to attack until the intruder escapes.
