Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a powerful neurotoxin commonly found in certain species of puffer fish and other marine life. It gets its name from the tetraodon puffer fish family, which consists of the fahaka puffer (Tetraodon fahaka), the Congo puffer (Tetraodon miurus), and the giant mbu puffer (Tetraodon mbu). Puffer fish from the genus Fugu (F. flavidus, F. poecilonotus, and F. niphobles), Arothron (A. nigropunctatus), Chelonodon (Chelonodon spp.), and Takifugu (Takifugu rubripes) also store TTX and related analogues in their tissues.
Other sources of TTX are (amongst others):
- Australian blue-ringed octopus (Hapaloclaena maculosa)
- Parrotfish
- Triggerfish
- Starfish (Astropecten scoparius)
- Xanthid crabs (Eriphia spp.)
- Ribbonworms and Arrowworms
Terrestrial organisms include:
- Harlequin frogs (Atelopus spp.)
- Costa Rican frog (Atelopus chiriquiensis)
- Three species of California newt (Taricha spp.)
- Members of the Salamandridae (Salamanders)