The white-spotted pufferfish (Torquigener albomaculosus) is known for its unique and complex courtship display which involves creating large, geometric circles in the sand. These circles are constructed in an effort to attract females for copulation. Males must maintain their circles in order to attract a mate. A female will evaluate the structure and choose to mate with the males after evaluation and completion of other mating behaviors.
The geometric circles had first been noticed by divers in 1995, but it was not discovered that they were created by white-spotted pufferfish until 2013 when the species was discovered in the Ryukyu Islands. It is thought that white-spotted pufferfish are the only species of their kind to engage in this type of mating ritual.
pufferfish mating circle
Puffers
White-spotted puffer
Dwarf pufferfish
Fahaka pufferfish
Dichotomyctere nigroviridis
