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Arothron caeruleopunctatus pufferfish hiding in plain sight

Posted on February 21, 2023 by Miguel's Diving • 0 Comments

Arothron caeruleopunctatus is a large pufferfish that hid in plain sight until a Japanese researcher named it in 1994.

Not the Other Blue-spotted Puffer

Scientific names are always best to identify marine life. Although the name of the large puffer Arothron caeruleopunctatus means “blue-spotted,” another small pufferfish is often called the Blue-spotted puffer. That fish is a small toby named Canthigaster solandri. It has various blue spots and a colorful body. An internet search for a blue spotted puffer will produce photos for C. solandri, not A. caeruleopunctatus.

Arothron caeruleopunctatus can measure to 80 centimeters in length. That makes this species one of the largest pufferfishes worldwide. Divers giving it a casual glance would find it uninteresting. Its body is primarily dull with hues of gray and dark blue. Ventrally, it is often white. Dorsally, it can have a yellow, irregular blotch. The fish’s scientific name comes from the numerous blue to white spots found on its body. These are round to rice shaped. Also, concentric lines circle the fish’s eyes.

Unnoticed until 1994

Divers assumed that this oval-shaped fish was one of the other large puffers that live in Indo-Pacific waters. However, in 1994, Dr. Keiichi Matsuura published his finding of this pufferfish that had been hiding is plain sight. Dr. Matsuura is curator emeritus at the zoology department of the Museum of Nature and Science in Tsukuba, Japan.

In addition to Arothron caeruleopunctatus, he has discovered and named other pufferfishes. These include Arothron multilineatus (2016) from Ryukyu Islands, Japan, and Chelonodontops alvheimi (2018) from Myanmar. Also, he named a new Fugu puffer, Takifugu flavipterus (2017) from Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, and Far East Russia. Another pufferfish he named is Canthigaster aziz (2020) from the northern Red Sea off Saudi Arabia.

Arothron caeruleopunctatus in Gorontalo

Divers can see this Blue-spotted puffer occasionally along Gorontalo’s coral reefs and deep walls. Like other large pufferfishes

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, it is quite shy around divers. Careful approach can reward a patient diver with a clear view of the blue-spotted pattern of this fish. It lives from two meters to below safe diving limits.

blue spotted puffer — Smile for the camera!

A close look reveals that its skin lacks scales. Also, its dorsal and anal fins are small. These are located towards the back of its body and are symmetrical. Moreover, it lacks a pelvic fin. Its short snout has two pairs of nostrils. It feeds on invertebrates that live on the substrate. To feed, it uses its four strong teeth. This pufferfish is active during the day.

For your chance to see Arothron caeruleopunctatus in Gorontalo, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving.

Side Gilled Sea Slugs of the Night

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Miguel's Diving • 0 Comments

Side gilled sea slugs are a delight to find during night diving in Gorontalo.

Nocturnal Sea Slugs

Grand side gilled sea slugs — A Grand side gilled sea slug crawls the sea floor looking for prey

Nudibranchs usually have their gills exposed on the top of their bodies. But side gilled sea slugs have large plume-like gills tucked between the mantle and the foot. The gills are usually on the right side. They mostly live in shallow waters on sand and rubble bottoms. That makes the perfect location for lucky divers to find them. These slugs crawl the sea floor at night looking for tunicates

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, anemones and invertibrates. They have a pair of rolled rhinophores that sense chemicals and water current. They have strong jaws and wide mouths and can even eat a sleeping fish! This type of sea slug secretes sulfuric acid when disturbed.

Grand Side Gilled Sea Slugs

The most commonly seen side gilled slug is Pleurobranchus grandis. It can grow up to 21 cm, the size of a dinner plate! Its color pattern varies. However, this slug has three red bands that contrast with its other colors. See Alain Guillard’s photo taken at Sand Bowl dive site in Gorontalo.

Forskal’s Side Gilled Sea Slugs

The beautiful Pleurobrachus forskali is named after a Finnish naturalist. Pehr Forskal was a student of Linnaeus, who recommended that King Frederick V of Denmark appoint the young Forskal to join an expedition to Arabia. While he was busy writing his book on the Flora of Egypt & Arabia, he contracted malaria. He died in 1763 in present-day Yemen. This sea slug is one of three life forms named after him.
Its color varies widely from dark plum red to peach to brown. The only consistent element of its pattern is the white semicircles that outline bumps on its mantle. Both P. grandis and P. forskali arch their mantles when moving. This forms a spout towards the rear of the slug, clearly visible in Albert Hartono’s photo of a young Forskal sea slug taken at Old Port dive site. This spout channels water and feces away from the slug as it travels.

Moon-headed Side Gilled Sea Slugs

The most unusual Euselenops luniceps is rarely seen because it buries itself in the sand during the day. Its long mantle forms a siphon that brings sea water to the slug’s gills while it is buried. Notice the siphon towards the rear of the slug in Wisnu Purwanto’s photo from Sand Bowl dive site. Mr. Purwanto shares other Gorontalo underwater photos on his Flickr page. Its most notable feature is its large, wide oral veil that covers its mouth. The veil is fringed with many sensory hairs called papillae. The slug basically feels for prey along the sand with its mouth. Moon-headed ones are the only side gilled sea slugs that can swim for some distance. To swim, it flaps the sides of its body. It only grows to 7 cm.
Although night dives are not included in dive packages that Miguel’s Diving offers, oftentimes night diving is available. Please ask when you make a booking with us.