guineafowl puffer
Arothron meleagris · Tetraodontidae · omnivore
Coral reef puffer, dark and speckled with light, reaching 50 cm. It is poisonous to eat and has value in the aquarium trade.
Also called: baiacu-galinha-de-angola, botete globo, guineafowl puffer
- maximum
- 50 cm
- depth
- 1–73 m
the right time
to be on the water
Choose the place and the species. The index, from 0 to 100, combines weather, sun, moon and tide with each fish's habits. Up to 28 days, with each day's confidence.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
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hour by hour
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
the fishing month at a glance
what's the best window for the crew?
Choose how many fishing days. We compare each stretch by its average index, discount days with a warning or closed season, and show the 3 best.
trend for the coming weeks
Line: the middle value of 31 simulations of the American GEFS model. Band: where 8 out of 10 fall. Narrow, firm trend; wide, high uncertainty.
everything about the guineafowl puffer
who is the guineafowl puffer
The family Tetraodontidae brings together the puffers, rounded fish that can inflate with water. This species reaches 50 cm and lives in the Indo-Pacific and the eastern Pacific, from Guaymas, Mexico, to Ecuador, with records also in Colombia and Chile. It occurs in coral areas of lagoons and open reefs, from 1 to 73 m, mostly in oceanic locations. It usually lives alone and feeds mainly on the tips of branching corals, along with sponges, mollusks, algae and detritus. It is taken in commercial fishing and the aquarium trade, but it is poisonous to eat.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the guineafowl puffer; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- It lives alone and feeds mainly on the tips of branching corals.
identification
Short, deep, rounded body covered in small spines. The common name recalls the guinea fowl, with dark plumage speckled with white, and this species has a dark body with many light spots scattered across it, including on the fins. The white-spotted puffer, from the same coast, is greenish brown and has pale stripes on its belly.
where found
Found in the Indo-Pacific, from East Africa to the Pacific islands, and in the eastern Pacific, from Guaymas, Mexico, to Ecuador. In Latin America it is recorded from Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile (Easter Island). There are no records on the Brazilian coast.
Habitat: Coral areas in lagoons and open reefs, from 1 to 73 m, mostly in oceanic locations.
rules for the guineafowl puffer
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
It is poisonous to eat, so never take it home to eat. It has small spines all over the body and a strong beak: handle with care and release it quickly.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.03715, b = 2.87; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa pelo gênero e formato do corpo)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Arothron meleagris (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Arothron meleagrisNames by country and language.
similar species
where each number comes from
The weather comes from three independent global models, cross-checked hour by hour: when they agree, confidence goes up; when they diverge, the band between them shows on the chart. Beyond 16 days, we use the GEFS ensemble of 31 simulations: if 20 of the 31 predict rain, the chance of rain is 65%. Sun and moon are calculated astronomically, with no uncertainty.
The index adds up, weighted for each species: time of day (species curve anchored to real sunrise and sunset), moon (transits, rise and set, phase), pressure (3 h trend and 24 h swing), water temperature (in rivers, estimated from air temperature; at sea, estimated by an ocean model), wind, rain, clouds, tide and the month in the species' cycle.
sources for this lookup
how accurate the forecast is
Accuracy measured in the reference project (4 regions, 93 days, forecast vs. observed): maximum temperature is off by 0.6 °C on average the next day and 1.7 °C at 7 days; rain of 5 mm or more is detected 76% of the time the next day and 57% at 7 days. Detection isn't everything: the false alarm rate isn't published here yet, and 93 days in 4 regions is still a small sample. We now also measure every day, at the app's destinations: