- English Name : Whitespotted pufferfish
- Local Name : Lahjehi koli
- Size : Max. 48cm
- Family : TETRAODONTIDAE
- Order : Tetraodontiformes
- Distinctive Characters: Dorsal fin with 10-11 rays. Anal fin with 10-11 rays. Pectoral fin with 17-19 rays. Small spinules on head and body except snout and posterior caudal peduncle. Nostril consisting of two fleshy flaps from a common base (characteristic of the genus). Caudal fin rounded.
- Colour: Greyish to greenish brown with small white spots on head, back and sides. 1 or 2 yellow rings and several yellow spots around pectoral fin. 2-5 bars across sides, always a short dark bar below eye and another below pectoral fin.
- Habitat and Biology: Generally found in shallow protected areas to depths of 25 m. Juveniles seen in weedy areas. Diet highly varied; feeding on molluscs, tunicates, sponges, corals, anemones, crabs, tubeworms, sea urchins, brittle stars and starfishes (including crown-of-thorns), and hydroids.
- Distribution: Indo-Pacific and Eastern Pacific.
- Remarks: Arothron hispidus, like other pufferfishes, is highly poisonous. The degree of toxicity of puffer
fishes varies greatly with the species and apparently also with geographical area and season.