About Arothron manilensis (Marion de Procé, 1822)
Arothron manilensis (Marion de Procé, 1822) is a small fish that reaches a maximum length of 31 centimeters. It has an oval, spherical, and relatively elongated body. Its skin is not covered in scales, and the species has no pelvic fin or lateral line. The dorsal and anal fins are small, symmetric, and positioned at the rear end of the body. It has a short snout with two pairs of nostrils, and a terminal mouth that holds four strong teeth. The fish's base body color ranges from whitish to grey, marked with brown horizontal lines. All fins are yellowish and semi-translucent, except for the opaque caudal fin, which has a black outline. A more or less circular black blotch is present at the base of the pectoral fin, and the iris is also yellowish. This species occurs in tropical waters of the central Indo-Pacific. It inhabits estuaries, sheltered upper reef areas, and lagoons, from the water surface down to 20 meters depth. It is commonly found in seagrass beds and sandy areas, and juvenile individuals grow among mangroves.
