Canthigaster cyanospilota, commonly known as the blue-spotted toby, is a species of pufferfish in the Tetraodontidae family. This species inhabits the 🌊 Indian Ocean, including the 🌊 Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. It lives in marine environments, particularly subtropical, demersal zones at depths ranging from 3 to 80 meters (10 to 262 feet). With a maximum length of 10.4 centimeters (about 4 inches), the blue-spotted toby is typically solitary and resides on seaward reefs with sand-rubble bottoms.
The anatomical features of this pufferfish include 9 to 11 dorsal soft rays, 8 to 10 anal soft rays, and 17 vertebrae. Its body has a depth between the origins of the dorsal and anal fins measuring approximately 3.15 to 3.6 times its standard length (SL), while the head length is around 2.2 to 2.5 times in SL. The interorbital width is about 4.25 to 4.85 times in the head length, with the gill opening length ranging from 5.4 to 6.5 times in head length. The anal fin originates posterior to the rear base of the dorsal fin, with a preanal length of 1.25 to 1.35 times in SL.
The preserved color of Canthigaster cyanospilota is typically pale grey to tan, displaying three oblique, saddle-like brown bars on its body and various brown dots and lines on the head and body. Some specimens from the 🌊 Red Sea have these markings within the saddles. The pectoral fin base features a dark brown spot, and a midventral brown line appears on the head and abdomen. The fins are pale yellowish. In living specimens, the dark dots and lines are bright blue, and the caudal fin prominently displays longitudinal blue lines or rows of small blue spots and short lines. The snout often shows green coloration dorsally.
This fish feeds on various benthic invertebrates and is listed as "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List. The name "Canthigaster" derives from Greek, meaning the corner of the eye and stomach, while "cyanospilota" refers to its numerous small bright blue markings. The Indo-Pacific region is home to this tetraodontid fish, forming part of a complex including Canthigaster coronata.
Why it's threatened
Threat classification from the IUCN Red List.
