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Related FAQs: Triggerfishes in General,
Triggerfish: Identification,
Selection,
Selection 2, Compatibility, Behavior, Systems, Feeding, Diseases, Triggerfish Health 2, Reproduction,
Related Articles: Triggerfishes, Fishwatcher's Guide to the Red
Sea, Triggers of the
Cook Islands,
/A Diversity of Aquatic Life
Rating the Triggerfishes of
Indonesia
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| Bob Fenner |
Xanthichthys auromarginatus
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Triggerfishes for Marine Aquariums
Diversity, Selection & Care
New eBook on Amazon: Available here
New Print Book on Create Space: Available
here
by Robert (Bob) Fenner
|
 |
The genus
Balistapus: monotypic.
| Balistapus undulatus (Park 1797),
the Undulated or Orange-Lined Triggerfish is both loved and
vilified in our hobby. On the one hand it's a gorgeous species
that is very hardy. On the other it can be a pure terror towards
its tank-mates, eating or "sampling" them all to death.
Don't despair if you have a penchant for keeping this fish.
True, most Indo-Pacific ones are mean to a fault and must be kept
only with like-mad-minded fishes, but do look for the more mellow
Red Sea specimens if you can. These are much more peaceful toward
other species. An Undulated Trigger in the Red Sea above, and a
small individual ( three inches) in captivity, six inch specimens
in French Polynesia and the Red Sea respectively below. |
The genus
Balistoides: two species.
| The Clown Trigger, Balistoides conspicillum
(Bloch & Schneider 1801), grows to sixteen or so inches. A two
inch aquarium specimen and maximum size individuals in the
Maldives and N. Sulawesi shown. Get one small, and feed it
sparingly... and keep your eye on it and your other livestock...
this is an Alpha Alpha species that typically takes over a system
of any size... and woe be to the tankmates that don't get and
stay out of its way. |
| The Titan Trigger, Balistoides viridescens
(Bloch & Schneider 1801), tops out at about two feet. Here much
more subdued hiding under an Acroporid coral... much better than
leaving its nest to come bite you! One on a nest, the other
cruising in the Red Sea. |
 
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The genus
Melichthys: three species.
| Melichthys indicus (Randall & Klausewitz
1973), the Indian Triggerfish. Indian Ocean, Red Sea including east
African coast. To ten inches in length. A good fish-only aquarium
species. This one in the Maldives. |
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| And the Pinktail Trigger, Melichthys
vidua (Richardson 1845), is the other commonly offered member
of the genus. Found throughout the Indo-Pacific. These are
"medium" aggressive fish species that grow to about a
foot in length in captivity, sixteen inches in the wild. Here are
specimens in captivity and Hawai'i. |
 
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The genus
Pseudobalistes: three species.
| Yellow Fin, Margin or Face Triggerfish,
Pseudobalistes flavimarginatus (Ruppell 1829). A beauty and
peaceful for a triggerfish when small. To two feet. Indo-west
Pacific, Red Sea to along Africa's eastern coast to Natal. Here
is a one inch individual in the Maldives, an adult off or Pulau
Redang, Malaysia, and a still larger one in N. Sulawesi. |
| The Blue Line Triggerfish ("Yellow-Spotted
Triggerfish" to science), Pseudobalistes fuscus (Bloch
& Schneider 1801). Indo-Pacific, Red Sea, east African coast to
South Africa. To twenty two inches in length. Below juveniles
of four and eight inches in captivity and a full size adult in the
Red Sea shown. |
The genus
Rhinecanthus: seven valid species.
| Rhinecanthus cinereus (Bonnaterre 1788),
Strickland's Triggerfish. Western Indian Ocean, Maldives,
Andaman Sea and Mauritius. |
No pic
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| The Rectangle or Reef Triggerfish ("Wedge-Tail
Triggerfish" to science), Rhinecanthus rectangulus
(Bloch & Schneider 1801)shares the waters and common Humu name
with the Picasso in Hawai'i. Indo-Pacific, Red Sea, east
African coast. Shown here as a baby and adult in Hawai'i. To
one foot in length. |
 
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| The very similar Bursa ("Blackbelly" to
science) Triggerfish, Rhinecanthus verrucosus (Linnaeus
1758), comes to us from out of the Philippines and Indonesia. |
No pic
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The genus
Sufflamen: five species.
| Most commonly offered are the Sickle, Lei or my
favorite, Boomerang Triggerfish, Sufflamen bursa (Bloch
& Schneider 1801), (mainly out of Hawai'i), an adult there
shown and a smaller (four inch) individual in the Cooks. |
 
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| More rarely, and very similar to the Whitetail,
you may find the Indo-Pacific Halfmoon or Whitetip Trigger,
Sufflamen chrysopterus (Bloch & Schneider 1801). Fiji
juvenile of about two inch length and aquarium and Maldives and N.
Sulawesi photographs. Note the discontinuous white border on
the tail. |
The genus
Xanthichthys: five species.
| Like the Blue Throat or Gilded Triggerfish,
Xanthichthys auromarginatus (Bennett 1832), that are true
reef dwellers. Here is a female and a male off of Maui,
Hawai'i. Indo-west Pacific. To about a foot total length. |
|
Triggerfishes for Marine Aquariums
Diversity, Selection & Care
New eBook on Amazon: Available here
New Print Book on Create Space: Available
here
by Robert (Bob) Fenner
|
|
|
|
