Stars-and-stripes puffer
Arothron hispidus
Illustration: Bloom by Day
A heavy green-brown puffer covered in small white spots, with white bars across the belly and a dark ringed patch around the pectoral base. It potters over rubble and sand with its small fins going and only puffs if something gives it a very good reason.
how to recognise it
- greenish-brown, with the back, sides and tail profusely speckled with WHITE spots
- the belly marked with white bars
- a large dark spot around the gill opening and pectoral-fin base, sometimes with pale rings around it
- a white ring around the eye and a white bar across the top of the snout
- a single bent lateral line, and two fleshy tentacles on each nostril
Field marks read from FishBase, 2026-10-15. Our wording, their facts. Max size 50.0 cm TL.
facts
- habitat
- reef
- size
- ~35 cm, to 50 cm
Max size from FishBase (50.0 cm TL); the typical size is Bluebird’s, not from a cited source
- records near here
- 59 at 3 of 6 spots
A count of occurrence records near these spots, not abundance. Records are where someone looked.
when it has been recorded
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A gap means no record in the sample, not absence.
the rule
no QLD rule listed — check before you dive
no NSW rule listed — check before you dive
no closed season recorded for this species — that is not the same as open; check the official page
Rules checked 2026-10-13 against qld.gov.au
Rules change. Check before you dive.
Occurrence data: Atlas of Living Australia (ala.org.au), CC-BY 4.0.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.