Triggerfish

Triggerfish are one of 41 species of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Balistidae. They are often brightly colored and marked by lines and spots. You can find them in tropical and subtropical oceans all around the world, especially where there are lots of different species, like in the Indo-Pacific. Most triggerfish live close to the shore in shallow water, particularly at coral reefs, but a few types, such as the oceanic triggerfish (Canthidermis maculata), swim far out into the open ocean.

People sometimes eat triggerfish, and a few kinds are kept in aquarium tanks. However, these fish are known to be very moody and can be quite difficult to care for.

Description

Triggerfish have a special body shape that looks oval and very flat. Their heads are big with strong jaws and teeth made for breaking open shells. They have small eyes placed high on their heads. Their bodies are covered with tough, armored skin and scales.

These fish can lift up special spines on their backs to lock themselves in place, which helps protect them from danger. They move slowly using their fins and can swim faster when needed. Most triggerfish look similar whether they are male or female. The largest triggerfish can grow up to about 1 meter long, but many are smaller, between 20 and 50 centimeters. Some ancient triggerfish fossils show they could have been even bigger long ago.

Nomenclature

The triggerfish family, Balistidae, was first described in 1810 by French scientist Constantine Samuel Rafinesque. They are closely related to the filefishes, and some scientists group them together.

The name "triggerfish" comes from a special spine on their back fin that can lock and unlock, like a trigger on a crossbow. This feature is also reflected in their scientific name.

Image	Genus	Living species
	Abalistes D. S. Jordan & Seale, 1906	Abalistes filamentosus Matsuura & Yoshino, 2004 Abalistes stellatus Anonymous, referred to Lacépède, 1798
	Balistapus Tilesius, 1820	Balistapus undulatus M. Park, 1797
	Balistes Linnaeus, 1758	Balistes capriscus J. F. Gmelin, 1789 Balistes polylepis Steindachner, 1876 Balistes punctatus J. F. Gmelin, 1789 Balistes vetula Linnaeus, 1758
	Balistoides Fraser-Brunner, 1935	Balistoides conspicillum (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) Balistoides viridescens (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
	Canthidermis Swainson, 1839	Canthidermis macrolepis Boulenger, 1888 Canthidermis maculata Bloch, 1786 Canthidermis rotundatus (Marion de Procé, 1822) Canthidermis sufflamen Mitchill, 1815 Canthidermis willughbeii (Lay & Bennett, 1839)
	Melichthys Swainson, 1839	Melichthys indicus J. E. Randall & Klausewitz, 1973 Melichthys niger Bloch, 1786 Melichthys vidua J. Richardson, 1845
	Odonus Gistel, 1848	Odonus niger Rüppell, 1836
	Pseudobalistes Bleeker, 1865	Pseudobalistes flavomarginatus Rüppell, 1829 Pseudobalistes fuscus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) Pseudobalistes naufragium D. S. Jordan & Starks, 1895
	Rhinecanthus Swainson, 1839	Rhinecanthus abyssus Matsuura & Shiobara, 1989 Rhinecanthus aculeatus Linnaeus, 1758 Rhinecanthus assasi Forsskål, 1775 Rhinecanthus cinereus Bonnaterre, 1788 Rhinecanthus lunula J. E. Randall & Steene, 1983 Rhinecanthus rectangulus Bloch & Schneider, 1801 Rhinecanthus verrucosus Linnaeus, 1758
	Sufflamen D. S. Jordan, 1916	Sufflamen albicaudatum Rüppell, 1829 Sufflamen bursa Bloch & Schneider, 1801 Sufflamen chrysopterum Bloch & Schneider, 1801 Sufflamen fraenatum Latreille, 1804 Sufflamen verres C. H. Gilbert & Starks, 1904
	Xanthichthys Kaup, 1856	Xanthichthys auromarginatus Bennett, 1832 Xanthichthys caeruleolineatus J. E. Randall, Matsuura & Zama, 1978 Xanthichthys greenei Pyle & Earle, 2013 Xanthichthys lima (Bennett, 1832) Xanthichthys lineopunctatus Hollard, 1854 Xanthichthys mento D. S. Jordan & C. H. Gilbert, 1882 Xanthichthys ringens Linnaeus, 1758
	Xenobalistes Matsuura, 1981	Xenobalistes tumidipectoris Matsuura, 1981

Behavior

Triggerfish have bodies built for eating slow, shelled animals like crustaceans, mollusks, sea urchins, and other spiny sea creatures. Some also eat small fish, and a few, like the redtoothed triggerfish, mostly eat tiny floating plants and animals called plankton. They are clever fish, able to learn from what happens around them.

Young triggerfish off Florida often live in floating seaweed called Sargassum where they eat small shrimp, crabs, and mollusks.

Reproduction

Triggerfish pick special times to have their babies, based on the moon and tides. They usually lay eggs a few days before the full moon or new moon, and often around the time of big tides called spring tides. The father triggerfish picks a spot for a nest and stays there. He and the mother may clean the spot and touch noses before laying eggs on the sandy ocean floor. The eggs are tiny and get scattered by the waves.

Territoriality

Male triggerfish are very protective of their spaces because this is where they have their families. They often have more than one mother in their area, and they mate with all of them. Some triggerfish, like the Picasso and titan triggerfish, can be aggressive when guarding their nests, especially toward scuba divers and snorkelers. Both parents help take care of the eggs, with the mother staying close to watch over them and the father guarding the whole area.

Relation to humans

Some types of triggerfish, like the titan triggerfish, can make people sick if eaten and should be avoided. But others, like the grey triggerfish, are safe to eat.