Colomesus psittacus
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| Colomesus psittacus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Tetraodontiformes |
| Family: | Tetraodontidae |
| Genus: | Colomesus |
| Species: | C. psittacus |
| Binomial name | |
| Colomesus psittacus (Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801) | |
Colomesus psittacus, the Banded puffer, parrot puffer[2] or South American estuarine puffer,[3] is a species of pufferfish found all along the Western Atlantic coastline of South America from the Gulf of Paria down to the mouth of the Amazon River in Brazil.
The coloration of this fish is green above, white below, and patterned with black transverse bands across the dorsal surface. Compared with Colomesus asellus, the black bands on the back are much thinner, and it also lacks a distinctive black band that rings the base of the caudal fin.[2] This species grows to a length of 28.9 centimetres (11.4 in) SL.[4] This species is known to have edible flesh but a toxic liver but whether it contains saxitoxin or tetrodotoxin (as is the case with many marine puffers) is not known.[5]