Editing Tetraodontidae (section)

=== Reproduction ===
{{see also|Pufferfish mating ritual}}

Many marine puffers have a [[pelagic]], or open-ocean, life stage. Spawning occurs after males slowly push females to the water surface or join females already present. The eggs are spherical and buoyant. Hatching occurs after roughly four days. The fry are tiny, but under magnification have a shape usually reminiscent of a pufferfish.  They have a functional mouth and eyes, and must eat within a few days.  Brackish-water puffers may breed in bays in a manner similar to marine species, or may breed more similarly to the freshwater species, in cases where they have moved far enough upriver.

Reproduction in freshwater species varies quite a bit. The [[Dwarf pufferfish|dwarf puffers]] court with males following females, possibly displaying the crests and keels unique to this subgroup of species.  After the female accepts his advances, she will lead the male into plants or another form of cover, where she can release eggs for fertilization. The male may help her by rubbing against her side.  This has been observed in captivity, and they are the only commonly captive-spawned puffer species.

Target-group puffers have also been spawned in aquaria, and follow a similar courting behavior, minus the crest/keel display. Eggs are laid, though, on a flat piece of slate or other smooth, hard material, to which they adhere. The male will guard them until they hatch, carefully blowing water over them regularly to keep the eggs healthy. His parenting is finished when the young hatch and the fry are on their own.

In 2012, males of the species ''[[Torquigener albomaculosus]]'' were documented while carving large and complex geometric, circular structures in the seabed sand in [[Amami Ōshima]], Japan. The structures serve to attract females and to provide a safe place for them to lay their eggs.<ref name="ibt">{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/japan-underwater-%E2%80%98crop-circles%E2%80%99-mystery-finally-solved-794461|title=Japan Underwater 'Crop Circles' Mystery Finally Solved|author=Heller, Jill|date=September 21, 2012|website=International Business Times|access-date=September 23, 2012}}</ref>

Information on breeding of specific species is very limited. ''[[Tetraodon nigroviridis|T. nigroviridis]]'', the green-spotted puffer, has recently been spawned artificially under captive conditions. It is believed to spawn in bays in a similar manner to saltwater species, as their sperm was found to be motile only at full marine salinities, but wild breeding has never been observed. ''[[Chonerhinos naritus|Xenopterus naritus]]'' has been reported to be the first bred artificially in Sarawak, Northwestern Borneo, in June 2016, and the main purpose was for development of aquaculture of the species.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ahmad Nasir|first=Ahmad Syafiq|year=2016|title=The first reported artificial propagation of yellow puffer, ''Xenopterus naritus'' (Richardson, 1848) from Sarawak, Northwestern Borneo|journal=Aquaculture Research|volume=48|issue=8|pages=4582–4589|doi=10.1111/are.13103|url=http://ir.unimas.my/12537/1/The-first-reported%209abstract%29.pdf}}</ref>