Canthigaster criobe is the new species of toby (or dwarf puffer) which has recently been described from the Gambier Archipelago, French Polynesia, in the heart of the South Pacific Ocean. There are well over 30 species of Canthigaster toby pufferfish, most of which have a primarily spotted pattern, sometime with a little bit of striping but Canthigaster criobe is the first species in the genus with an exclusively striped pattern. And what gorgeous stripes it has too!
The base coloration of Canthigater criobe is a yellow anterior changing to orange and then reddish brown towards the tail, contrasting beautifully with about a dozen infrequently branching stripes that are a blueish white. No doubt that Canthigaster criobe would make for a very attractive marine aquarium fish if it was ever to make it to trade. However, not only does the new Criobe toby occur way outside the range of typical aquarium collections but the species was described based off a single captured specimen, and no others have ever been seen.
