Guineafowl Puffer, Arothron meleagris

The Guineafowl Puffer, Arothron meleagris, is a member of the Puffer or Tetraodontidae Family, and is known in Mexico as botete aletas punteadas or simply botete. Globally, there are thirteen species in the genus Arothron, of which two are found in Mexican waters, both in the Pacific Ocean.

The Guineafowl Puffer has a heavy rounded body with the vast majority being a uniform black color covered with numerous small white spots (Black Puffer or botete negro); a very small percentage are a uniform bright yellow and covered with a limited number of white spots and black spots (Golden Puffer or botete dorado); an even smaller percentage are a mixture of the two morphologies. They have large blunt heads with short snouts and are equipped with a set of massive teeth. They have small and similarly shaped anal and dorsal fins that are well back on their body and both have 11 to 12 rays; their caudal fin base is long and deep and their caudal fin is rounded; their pectoral fins have 17 to 19 rays; and, they do not have pelvic fins. Their body is covered with small denticles that resemble coarse sandpaper.

The Guineafowl Puffer is found in and around rocky coral reefs at depths up to 73 m (240 feet). They reach a maximum length of 40 cm (16 inches). As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 0.48  kg (1 lb 1 oz) with the fish caught off the beach at Las Barilles, Baja California Sur, March 2021. They feed on coral, small sea animals, sponges, seaweed, crown-of-thorn starfish, and detritus. They have the ability to blow themselves up like balloons, presumably as a defense mechanism to deter predator attacks. Although very common, the Guineafowl Puffer is a poorly studied species with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Guineafowl Puffer are widely distributed across the central Indian and Pacific Oceans from Africa, throughout Micronesia, and to the Eastern Pacific south to Ecuador. In Mexico, they are a resident of the Pacific Ocean and found on the east coast of Baja from La Paz to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, and along the coastal mainland from Guaymas to Los Mochis, Sonora and from Mazatlán, Sinaloa south to Guatemala; they are also common to all offshore islands including the Tres Marias and the Revillagigedos.

The Guineafowl Puffer is a straightforward identification that cannot easily confused with other species in the wild with the possible exception of the female Spotted Boxfish, Ostracion meleagris, however, the Boxfish is easily distinguished by its rigid structure.

From a conservation perspective the Guineafowl Puffer is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are caught by recreational anglers on occasion off the beach in the greater Los Cabos area via hook and line in shallow waters utilizing small hooks tipped with cut squid. They are a curiosity and can put on an interesting show as they can inflate, however, they have no structure, no rigid backbone, and resemble a “tube of goo”. They are also visually interesting as they paddle back to deeper waters post release. If the line is severed it is most likely a Guineafowl Puffer or a Porcupinefish, Diodon hystrix. They are utilized by the aquarium trade with individual fish commanding up to $400 and the all yellow ones $500. Note: Like many Puffers, the Guineafowl Puffer is reputed to be highly poisonous, even fatal, if eaten, due to the potential presence of potent neurotoxins saxitoxin and/or tetrodotoxin, which is found in their skin, viscera, and gonads and is believed to protect them from predation by larger fish.