biology

Somphong's puffer

Somphong's puffer is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Somphong's puffer rather than just read about it. In short: Somphong's puffer, redeye puffer or crested puffer (Carinotetraodon lorteti) is a small freshwater pufferfish found in mainland Southeast Asia, such as Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is often found in canals and brackish waters along the coast; in the canals of Thonburi, Bangkok, for example, it may be found hiding in areas with dense water hyacinths.

Key takeaways

Somphong's puffer belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Somphong's puffer to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Somphong's puffer from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Somphong's puffer, redeye puffer or crested puffer (Carinotetraodon lorteti) is a small freshwater pufferfish found in mainland Southeast Asia, such as Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is often found in canals and brackish waters along the coast; in the canals of Thonburi, Bangkok, for example, it may be found hiding in areas with dense water hyacinths.

Etymology The common name of the species, as well as one of the junior synonyms (Tetraodon somphongsi to be precise), honors the Thai fish explorer and aquarium trader Somphong Lek-aree, who discovered three new freshwater fish species, namely the dwarf loach (Ambastaia sidthimunki), Poropuntius melanogrammus (formerly Puntius somphongsi), and Somphong's rasbora (Trigonostigma somphongsi).

Description The male has a ruby-red body and red eyes, and is significantly larger than the female. When fully matured, Somphong's puffer grows to about 7 cm (2.8 in) in length.

Human interactions Somphong's puffer can be found in the aquarium trade. In home aquarium settings, keeping this puffer in a heavily planted tank is recommended, since it is easily spooked, and relies on submerged plants for refuge in such situations.

References

External links Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Carinotetraodon lorteti". FishBase. February 2012 version.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Somphong's puffer

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Somphong's puffer claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Somphong's puffer before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Somphong's puffer ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Somphong's puffer

In research: Somphong's puffer appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Somphong's puffer in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Somphong's puffer is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Carinotetraodon, Fish described in 1885, Fish of Cambodia, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Somphong's puffer outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Somphong's puffer” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Somphong's puffer in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Somphong's puffer means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Somphong's puffer out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Somphong's puffer in simple terms?

Why does Somphong's puffer matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Somphong's puffer?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Somphong's puffer.