Hawaiian Whitespotted Toby

The HAWAIIAN WHITESPOTTED TOBY is a tiny pufferfish, usually less than 4” long with an elongated snout.  It is brown with white spots covering its entire body.  The spots on the head tend to show a slight green fluorescence.  These fish are normally found in pairs with no obvious “favorite” spot – they’re found in areas ranging from sandy bottoms, full coral coverage to silty areas.  

Toby with parasitic worms.

If you find one that looks extremely fat with a distended abdomen, it is not pregnant, but rather is filled with parasitic worms (nematodes). 

Although they will shy away from divers, they are known for stealthily swimming up to other fish and nipping at their fins leaving a cookie cutter shape cut-out on the fins.  They also nip at the skin of resting sea turtles, particularly those with tumor growths.  If you see a turtle flinching while taking a nap, it’s most likely because it was just nipped at by this toby.  

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