Genus · Pufferfish

Auriglobus

Auriglobus is a genus with 3 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Pufferfish section, recorded from Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Adult sizes run from 3 in to 4 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
3
Adult sizes
3–4 in
IUCN assessed
3 of 3
Recorded from
3 countries

About the genus

Auriglobus is a genus of freshwater pufferfish from Sundaland - the rivers and blackwater streams of Sumatra, Borneo, and the Malay Peninsula, recorded here across Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The three atlas species are small for pufferfish, 3–4 in, with the rounded body, beak-like fused teeth, and ability to inflate that define the puffer family, and like most freshwater puffers they are solitary, sharp-eyed predators of snails, insect larvae, and other small invertebrates rather than schooling fish.

The golden puffer (Auriglobus modestus) and bronze puffer (A. nefastus) do turn up in the specialist aquarium trade, prized for bright coloration and personality but notorious, like nearly all puffers, for fin-nipping and territorial aggression that makes species-only or very carefully stocked tanks the norm. Their teeth grow continuously and need hard-shelled prey such as snails to stay worn down - a standard care requirement across the puffer family. One of the three species is assessed Near Threatened, consistent with the broader pressure on Sundaland's rivers and peat-swamp habitat from deforestation and water development.

IUCN Red List: Near Threatened · 1 Least Concern · 1 Not Evaluated · 1

The 3 species

Every Auriglobus recorded in this atlas. Each card links to a full researched profile — distribution, water parameters, and aquarium care, cited to primary sources.

(Bleeker, 1850)

Golden puffer, Avocado puffer

4 in SL · LC

(Roberts, 1982)

Bronze puffer, Golden puffer

3 in TL · NE

(Roberts, 1982)

Elongated golden puffer, Golden puffer

3 in SL · NT

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How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Auriglobus. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/auriglobus/

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