The immaculate pufferfish (Arothron immaculatus) is a fish recognizable by its pale gray coloration and large dark spot at the base of its pectoral fins. Like other pufferfish, it has a powerful mouth and fused, beak-like teeth that allow it to crush hard-shelled or armored prey. It mainly lives in the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific and inhabits both reefs and shallow coastal areas.

Despite its placid appearance, the immaculate pufferfish is a solitary predator that explores the seafloor in search of small animals. Like other Tetraodontidae, it is also capable of inflating its body when threatened, making it much more difficult for a potential predator to swallow. Its flesh is also toxic and should not be eaten.

The immaculate pufferfish has a short, stocky body that is slightly compressed on the sides, with a large head and a short, rounded snout. Its skin is covered with small spines that become more visible when the fish inflates. Its coloration is generally pale gray to brownish on the back and becomes lighter, sometimes almost white, on the belly. A large yellowish to dark brown, sometimes almost black, spot surrounds the base of each pectoral fin, while the caudal fin is generally yellow with a dark edge. Dark bands are also visible around the eyes.

The immaculate pufferfish can reach a maximum length of about 15 inches. Like other pufferfish, it does not have well-developed dorsal and pelvic fins for propulsion. It mainly moves using the rapid movements of its pectoral, dorsal, and anal fins, allowing it to maneuver precisely around reefs and through seagrass beds.

The immaculate pufferfish is found in the tropical waters of the western Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and the East African coast to Indonesia, and northward to southern Japan.

The immaculate pufferfish occurs around numerous islands in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific, including the Seychelles, Comoros, Madagascar, Réunion, Mauritius, the Philippines, Indonesia, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu.

The immaculate pufferfish generally lives in shallow waters between 10 and 98 feet deep. It inhabits a variety of coastal environments, including reefs, seagrass beds, vegetated areas, and mangroves. It can also venture into estuaries, where the water is less salty than in the open sea.

It is generally solitary and moves close to the seafloor in search of food. Juveniles can be observed in particularly shallow seagrass beds or mangrove areas, sometimes only 3 to 6 feet below the surface.

The immaculate pufferfish is a predator that searches for small bottom-dwelling animals by foraging through seagrass beds, sand, and rocky areas near reefs. Like other pufferfish, it has powerful teeth adapted to a diet that includes animals protected by shells or hard exoskeletons. It uses its beak-like teeth to crush them and access the edible parts of its prey.

The immaculate pufferfish is oviparous, meaning that the female lays eggs that develop outside her body. After the female and male release their gametes into the open water, the eggs are fertilized and hatch into larvae that spend their early developmental stages drifting with the currents before transforming into young pufferfish and settling on the seafloor.

The immaculate pufferfish is listed as many other marine species within The IUCN Red List of threatened species. The immaculate pufferfish appears in the IUCN Red List since 2014 within the category Least Concern !