Sunday Species Spotlight: Amazon Puffer (Colomesus asellus)

IUCN Conservation Status: Not Evaluated

Ecology

As one of the few pufferfish species that do well with most other fish, the Amazon puffer is known for its bright yellow and black coloration and its sociable personality. It is found in the Amazon, Araguaia, and Orinoco River Basins in South America. [1,2]

In the wild, the Amazon Puffer helps to control snail and insect populations as a predator, and not much is known to prey on this round fish, most likely due to the fact that it contains toxins in its body. However, there have been reports of this fish being preyed on by the Great Kiskadee, a type of bird common in South America. [3] The Amazon Puffer is also known to carry a specialized parasite that lives in its gills, and it may be a host for other parasites as well, but this has not been well documented. [4] It also has a life cycle that depends on the fluctuating dry and rainy seasons of its environment, and it is likely that the flooding of the river basins during the rainy season help wash the Puffer’s planktonic larvae to nursery floodplains where they mature before heading back to rivers. [2]

The Fishery

Due to the intense differences between the rainy and dry seasons of the major river basins in South America, the fishery is very much seasonal. When the fishery is in season, fishermen use seine nets along the shore to gently scoop out these small puffers, along with other fish popular in the aquarium trade. [5] The Amazon Puffer is also caught as bycatch* in some artisanal freshwater shrimp fisheries, and unfortunately often do not survive being caught in those fisheries. At the time of this article’s writing, research is being done to help decrease this from happening. [6]

In Aquaria

As one of the smallest puffers in the hobby, the Amazon Puffer is a charismatic and charming fish that is a little bit more challenging to care for, but is incredibly fun to watch. Like all puffers, this fish requires “crunchy” foods like snails, shrimp, and other invertebrates and does not like to eat dry foods. Its teeth grow quickly, so having hard-shelled foods in its diet is vital to keep its teeth from growing too long. [7] It also does not breed in captivity, as its life cycle involves multiple habitats and drastic life stage differences that are difficult to replicate in the aquarium. However, this fish can live for a long time, with some living up to 10 years! [7]

Because the Amazon Puffer is wild-caught, it is also more susceptible to parasites and can get ich easily when stressed. As such, we recommend doing some research and having medication on hand if your fish does get sick.

*Bycatch: refers to animals caught by fisherman that they cannot keep, and often end up discarding. This can lead to disruptions in animal populations, as well as economic loss as the fishermen cannot sell their bycatch.

Citations

[1] Colomesus asellus, Amazon puffer : aquarium. (n.d.). Retrieved June 24, 2022, from https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Colomesus-asellus

[2] R M Araujo-lima, C. A., Savastano, D., & Cardeliquio Jordao, L. (n.d.). Drift of Colomesus asellus (Teleostei : Tetvaodontidae) larvae in the Amazon River.

[3] Da, F., & Filho, S. C. (n.d.). Predação pelo bem-te-vi Pitangus sulphuratus (Passeriformes, Tyrannidae) no baiacu Colomesus asellus (Actinopterygii, Tetraodontidae) e camarão de água doce (Crustacea, Decapoda).

[4] Virgilio, L. R., Machado, E. O., Freire, A. N., Takemoto, R. M., Camargo, L. M. A., & Meneguetti, D. U. de O. (2021). Ergasilus colomesus (Copepoda: Ergasilidae) parasitizing gills of Colomesus asellus(Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae) in the western Brazilian Amazon. Annals of Parasitology, 67(1), 123–127. https://doi.org/10.17420/ap6701.320

[5] Spotlight: the Amazon Puffer (C. asellus) in the wild and in the aquarium - AMAZONAS Magazine. (n.d.). Retrieved June 24, 2022, from https://www.amazonasmagazine.com/2020/05/08/spotlight-the-amazon-puffer-c-asellus-in-the-wild-and-in-the-aquarium/

[6] Campos Imbiriba, L., da Silva Coelho, Y. K., de Matos Serrão, E., & Maia Zacardi, D. (2020). Ictiofauna acompanhante associada a pesca do camarão-da-amazônia Macrobrachium amazonicum (Heller, 1862) (Decapoda, Palaeomonidae): subsídios para gestão ambiental e ordenamento da pesca. Gaia Scientia, 14(4). https://doi.org/10.22478/ufpb.1981-1268.2020v14n4.52766 (Translated by DeepL)

[7] Amazon Puffer: Complete Guide to Care, Breeding, Tank Size and Disease - The Aquarium Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved June 24, 2022, from https://theaquariumguide.com/articles/amazon-puffer#How_Long_Does_An_Amazon_Puffer_Live