Pao cochinchinensis (Steindachner, 1866)
Pao cochinchinensis
photo by Jean-Francois Helias / Fishing Adventures Thailand

Family:  Tetraodontidae (Puffers), subfamily: Tetraodontinae
Max. size:  11.28 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  demersal; freshwater; pH range: 7; dH range: 12
Distribution:  Asia: Mekong and Chao Phraya basins; possibly also the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, Indonesia.
Diagnosis:  Greenish back with black spots, not well demarcated from belly; belly greyish to dark brown, with or without dark markings; adults with ocellus, sometimes red, but most commonly made of a large black blotch surrounded by a paler area and a series of more or less contiguous large black blotches; juveniles with a small red spot in center of concentric pale and black circles (Ref. 43281).
Biology: 
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 13 March 2011 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless
Country info:  Occurs in the Mekong basin (Ref. 43281). Museum: canal near Xano, Vi-Thanh, Rach-Gia Prov., MNHN 1940-42 (holotype, 5.44 cm SL) (Ref. 27732).


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