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Triggerfish

January 19, 2024

For the surveillance technology, see Triggerfish (surveillance).

Triggerfish are about 40 species of often brightly colored fish of the family Balistidae. Often marked by lines and spots, they inhabit tropical and subtropical oceans throughout the world, with the greatest species richness in the Indo-Pacific. Most are found in relatively shallow, coastal habitats, especially at coral reefs, but a few, such as the oceanic triggerfish (Canthidermis maculata), are pelagic. While several species from this family are popular in the marine aquarium trade, they are often notoriously ill-tempered.[2][3]

Anatomy and appearance edit

The largest member of the family, the stone triggerfish (Pseudobalistes naufragium) reaches 1 m (3.3 ft),[4] but most species have a maximum length between 20 and 50 cm (8–20 in).[2]

Triggerfish have an oval-shaped, highly compressed body. The head is large, terminating in a small but strong-jawed mouth with teeth adapted for crushing shells. The eyes are small, set far back from the mouth, at the top of the head. The anterior dorsal fin is reduced to a set of three spines. The first spine is stout and by far the longest. All three are normally retracted into a groove. Characteristic of the order Tetraodontiformes, the anal and posterior dorsal fins are capable of undulating from side to side to provide slow movement and comprise their primary mode of propulsion. The sickle-shaped caudal fin is used only to escape predators.

The two pelvic fins are overlaid by skin for most of their length and fused to form a single spine, terminated by very short rays, their only external evidence. Gill plates (opercula), although present, are also not visible, overlaid by the tough skin, covered with rough, rhomboid scales that form a stout armor on their bodies. The only gill opening is a vertical slit, directly above the pectoral fins. This peculiar covering of the gill plates is shared with other members of the Tetradontae. Each jaw contains a row of four teeth on either side, while the upper jaw contains an additional set of six plate-like pharyngeal teeth.

As a protection against predators, triggerfish can erect the first two dorsal spines: The first (anterior) spine is locked in place by erection of the short second spine, and can be unlocked only by depressing the second, "trigger" spine, hence the family name "triggerfish".

With the exception of a few species from the genus Xanthichthys, the sexes of all species in this family are similar in appearance.

Image Genus Living species
  Abalistes D. S. Jordan & Seale, 1906
  Balistapus Tilesius, 1820
  Balistes Linnaeus, 1758
  Balistoides Fraser-Brunner, 1935
  Canthidermis Swainson, 1839
  Melichthys Swainson, 1839
  Odonus Gistel, 1848
  Pseudobalistes Bleeker, 1865
  Rhinecanthus Swainson, 1839
  Sufflamen D. S. Jordan, 1916
  Xanthichthys Kaup, 1856
Xenobalistes Matsuura, 1981

Behavior edit

The anatomy of the triggerfish reflects its typical diet of slow-moving, bottom dwelling crustaceans, mollusks, sea urchins and other echinoderms, generally creatures with protective shells and spines. Many will also take small fishes and some, notably the members of the genus Melichthys, feed on algae.[2] A few, for example the redtoothed triggerfish (Odonus niger), mainly feed on plankton.[2] They are known to exhibit a high level of intelligence for a fish, and have the ability to learn from previous experiences.[3][5]

Some triggerfish species can be quite aggressive when guarding their eggs. Both the Picasso (Rhinecanthus aculeatus) and titan triggerfish (Balistoides viridescens) viciously defend their nests against intruders, including scuba divers and snorkelers. Their territory extends in a cone from the nest toward the surface, so swimming upwards can put a diver further into the fishes' territory; a horizontal swim away from the nest site is best when confronted by an angry triggerfish. Unlike the relatively small Picasso triggerfish, the titan triggerfish poses a serious threat to inattentive divers due to its large size and powerful teeth.[6]

Male territoriality edit

Triggerfish males migrate to their traditional spawning sites prior to mating and establish territories. Some male species (i.e. Balistes carolinensis and Pseudobalistes flavimarginatus) build hollow nests within their territories.[7] Triggerfish males are fierce in guarding their territories as having a territory is essential for reproduction. A male's territory is used for spawning and parental care. Most male territories are located over a sandy sea bottom or on a rocky reef. A single territory usually includes more than one female, and the male mates with all of the females residing in or visiting his territory (polygyny). In Hachijojima, Izu Islands, Japan, one male crosshatch triggerfish (Xanthichthys mento) has up to three females in his territory at the same time, and mates with them in pairs. Each male red-toothed triggerfish (Odonus niger) mates with more than 10 females in his territory on the same day.[8] Yellow margin triggerfish (Pseudobalistes flavimarginatus) also exhibit polygyny.

Spawning and biparental care edit

Triggerfish spawning is timed in relation to lunar cycles, tides, and time of changeover of tides. In relation to lunar cycles, eggs are observed 2–6 days before the full moon and 3–5 days before the new moon. In relation to tides, spawning happens 1–5 days before the spring tide. In relation to timing of tides, eggs are observed on days when high tides take place around sunset.[9]

 
The titan triggerfish can move relatively large rocks when feeding and is often followed by smaller fish, in this case orange-lined triggerfish and moorish idol, that feed on leftovers.

Male and female triggerfish perform certain prespawning behaviors: blowing and touching.[8] A male and female blow water on the sandy bottom (usually in the same spot at the same time) and set up their egg site. They touch their abdomens on the bottom as if they are spawning. During actual spawning, eggs are laid on the sandy sea bottom (triggerfish are demersal spawners despite their large size). Eggs are scattered and attached to sand particles. Triggerfish eggs are usually very small (diameter of 0.5–0.6 mm)[9][10] and are easily spread by waves. After spawning, both the male and female participate in caring for the fertilized eggs (biparental egg care). A female triggerfish stays near the spawning ground, around 5 m off the bottom, and guards the eggs within her territory against intruders. Some common intruders include Parupeneus multifasciatus, Zanclus cornutus, Prionurus scalprum, and conspecifics. Besides guarding, females roll, fan, and blow water on eggs to provide oxygen to the embryos, thereby inducing hatching.[11] This behavior of female triggerfish is called "tending", and males rarely perform this behavior. A male triggerfish stays farther above the eggs and guards all the females and eggs in his territory. Males exhibit aggressive behaviors against conspecific males near the boundaries of their territories.

Mating systems edit

In crosshatch triggerfish (Xanthichthys mento) and yellow margin triggerfish (Pseudobalistes flavimarginatus), eggs are spawned in the morning and they hatch after the sunset on the same day. After hatching of embryos, the female crosshatch triggerfish leaves the male's territory. This mating system is an example of male-territory-visiting polygamy. Triggerfishes exhibit other types of mating systems, as well, such as a nonterritorial-female (NTF) polygyny and territorial-female (TF) polygyny. In NTF polygyny, nonterritorial females stay in the male's territory and reproduce. In TF polygyny, a female owns territory within a male's territory and will spawn in her territory.[8]

Life history edit

Triggerfish lay their demersal eggs in a small hole dug in the sea bottom. Off Florida, juveniles of some species of triggerfishes are found in floating Sargassum, where they feed on the small shrimp, crabs, and mollusks found there.[12]

Edibility edit

 
Grey triggerfish caught off the coast of Madeira

Some species of triggerfish, such as the titan triggerfish, may be ciguatoxic and should be avoided.[2] Others, however, such as the grey triggerfish (Balistes capriscus), are edible.[13]

Gallery edit


References edit

  1. ^ Matsuura, Keiichi (2014). "Taxonomy and systematics of tetraodontiform fishes: a review focusing primarily on progress in the period from 1980 to 2014" (PDF). Ichthyological Research. 62 (1): 72–113. doi:10.1007/s10228-014-0444-5. S2CID 15223867.
  2. ^ a b c d e Lieske, Ewald; Myers, Robert (1999). Coral Reef Fishes: Caribbean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean including the Red Sea. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-00481-1.
  3. ^ a b c McDavid, Jim (July 2007). "Aquarium Fish: Triggerfish". Advanced Aquarist. Vol. VI, no. VII. from the original on 6 June 2017.
  4. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2015). "Pseudobalistes naufragium" in FishBase. February 2015 version.
  5. ^ Debelius, Helmut (1993). Indian Ocean Tropical Fish Guide. Aquaprint Verlags GmbH. ISBN 3-927991-01-5.
  6. ^ Randall, J.E.; Millington, J.T. (1990). "Triggerfish bite – a little-known Marine hazard". Journal of Wilderness Medicine. 1 (2): 79–85. doi:10.1580/0953-9859-1.2.79.
  7. ^ Lobel, Philip S.; Johannes, Robert E. (September 1980). "Nesting, egg and larvae of triggerfish (Balistidae)". Environmental Biology of Fishes. 5 (3): 251–252. doi:10.1007/bf00005359. S2CID 3213367.
  8. ^ a b c Kawase, Hiroshi (March 2003). "Spawning behavior and biparental egg care of the crosshatch triggerfish, Xanthichthys mento (Balistidae)". Environmental Biology of Fishes. 66 (3): 211–219. doi:10.1023/a:1023978722744. S2CID 35997227.
  9. ^ a b Gladstone, William (March 1994). "Lek-like spawning, parental care and mating periodicity of the triggerfish Pseudobalistes flavimarginatus (Balistidae)". Environmental Biology of Fishes. 39 (3): 249–257. doi:10.1007/bf00005127. S2CID 36747250.
  10. ^ Kawase, Hiroshi (2003). "Maternal egg care in the bridled triggerfish, Sufflamen fraenatus (Balistidae) at Hachijojima island, Japan". Natural History Research. 7: 193–197.
  11. ^ Reebs, Stéphan G. (2011–2015). "Are fishes good parents?" (PDF). Université de Moncton. (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016 – via howfishbehave.ca.
  12. ^ Matsuura, K.; Tyler, J.C. (1998). Paxton, John R.; Eschmeyer, William N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes: A Comprehensive Guide by International Experts. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 228–229. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
  13. ^ Evans, Jade. "How To Cook Triggerfish In The Most Delicious Way". MarvelousChef.com. from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2017.

External links edit

  •   Media related to Balistidae at Wikimedia Commons
  •   Data related to Balistidae at Wikispecies
  •   The dictionary definition of Balistidae at Wiktionary

January 19, 2024
triggerfish, surveillance, technology, surveillance, about, species, often, brightly, colored, fish, family, balistidae, often, marked, lines, spots, they, inhabit, tropical, subtropical, oceans, throughout, world, with, greatest, species, richness, indo, paci. For the surveillance technology see Triggerfish surveillance Triggerfish are about 40 species of often brightly colored fish of the family Balistidae Often marked by lines and spots they inhabit tropical and subtropical oceans throughout the world with the greatest species richness in the Indo Pacific Most are found in relatively shallow coastal habitats especially at coral reefs but a few such as the oceanic triggerfish Canthidermis maculata are pelagic While several species from this family are popular in the marine aquarium trade they are often notoriously ill tempered 2 3 TriggerfishTemporal range Eocene Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg NLagoon triggerfishScientific classificationDomain EukaryotaKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass ActinopterygiiOrder TetraodontiformesFamily BalistidaeA Risso 1810Genera 1 AbalistesBalistapusBalistesBalistoidesCanthidermisMelichthysOdonusPseudobalistesRhinecanthusSufflamenXanthichthysXenobalistes Contents 1 Anatomy and appearance 2 Behavior 2 1 Male territoriality 2 2 Spawning and biparental care 2 3 Mating systems 3 Life history 4 Edibility 5 Gallery 6 References 7 External linksAnatomy and appearance editThe largest member of the family the stone triggerfish Pseudobalistes naufragium reaches 1 m 3 3 ft 4 but most species have a maximum length between 20 and 50 cm 8 20 in 2 Triggerfish have an oval shaped highly compressed body The head is large terminating in a small but strong jawed mouth with teeth adapted for crushing shells The eyes are small set far back from the mouth at the top of the head The anterior dorsal fin is reduced to a set of three spines The first spine is stout and by far the longest All three are normally retracted into a groove Characteristic of the order Tetraodontiformes the anal and posterior dorsal fins are capable of undulating from side to side to provide slow movement and comprise their primary mode of propulsion The sickle shaped caudal fin is used only to escape predators The two pelvic fins are overlaid by skin for most of their length and fused to form a single spine terminated by very short rays their only external evidence Gill plates opercula although present are also not visible overlaid by the tough skin covered with rough rhomboid scales that form a stout armor on their bodies The only gill opening is a vertical slit directly above the pectoral fins This peculiar covering of the gill plates is shared with other members of the Tetradontae Each jaw contains a row of four teeth on either side while the upper jaw contains an additional set of six plate like pharyngeal teeth As a protection against predators triggerfish can erect the first two dorsal spines The first anterior spine is locked in place by erection of the short second spine and can be unlocked only by depressing the second trigger spine hence the family name triggerfish With the exception of a few species from the genus Xanthichthys the sexes of all species in this family are similar in appearance Image Genus Living species nbsp Abalistes D S Jordan amp Seale 1906 Abalistes filamentosus Matsuura amp Yoshino 2004 Abalistes stellaris Bloch amp J G Schneider 1801 Abalistes stellatus Anonymous referred to Lacepede 1798 nbsp Balistapus Tilesius 1820 Balistapus undulatus M Park 1797 nbsp Balistes Linnaeus 1758 Balistes capriscus J F Gmelin 1789 Balistes polylepis Steindachner 1876 Balistes punctatus J F Gmelin 1789 Balistes vetula Linnaeus 1758 nbsp Balistoides Fraser Brunner 1935 Balistoides conspicillum Bloch amp J G Schneider 1801 Balistoides viridescens Bloch amp J G Schneider 1801 nbsp Canthidermis Swainson 1839 Canthidermis macrolepis Boulenger 1888 Canthidermis maculata Bloch 1786 Canthidermis sufflamen Mitchill 1815 nbsp Melichthys Swainson 1839 Melichthys indicus J E Randall amp Klausewitz 1973 Melichthys niger Bloch 1786 Melichthys vidua J Richardson 1845 nbsp Odonus Gistel 1848 Odonus niger Ruppell 1836 nbsp Pseudobalistes Bleeker 1865 Pseudobalistes flavomarginatus Ruppell 1829 Pseudobalistes fuscus Bloch amp J G Schneider 1801 Pseudobalistes naufragium D S Jordan amp Starks 1895 nbsp Rhinecanthus Swainson 1839 Rhinecanthus abyssus Matsuura amp Shiobara 1989 Rhinecanthus aculeatus Linnaeus 1758 Rhinecanthus assasi Forsskal 1775 Rhinecanthus cinereus Bonnaterre 1788 Rhinecanthus lunula J E Randall amp Steene 1983 Rhinecanthus rectangulus Bloch amp J G Schneider 1801 Rhinecanthus verrucosus Linnaeus 1758 nbsp Sufflamen D S Jordan 1916 Sufflamen albicaudatum Ruppell 1829 Sufflamen bursa Bloch amp J G Schneider 1801 Sufflamen chrysopterum Bloch amp J G Schneider 1801 Sufflamen fraenatum Latreille 1804 Sufflamen verres C H Gilbert amp Starks 1904 nbsp Xanthichthys Kaup 1856 Xanthichthys auromarginatus E T Bennett 1832 Xanthichthys caeruleolineatus J E Randall Matsuura amp Zama 1978 Xanthichthys greenei Pyle amp Earle 2013 Xanthichthys lineopunctatus Hollard 1854 Xanthichthys mento D S Jordan amp C H Gilbert 1882 Xanthichthys ringens Linnaeus 1758Xenobalistes Matsuura 1981 Xenobalistes punctatus Heemstra amp M P Smith 1983 Xenobalistes tumidipectoris Matsuura 1981Behavior editThe anatomy of the triggerfish reflects its typical diet of slow moving bottom dwelling crustaceans mollusks sea urchins and other echinoderms generally creatures with protective shells and spines Many will also take small fishes and some notably the members of the genus Melichthys feed on algae 2 A few for example the redtoothed triggerfish Odonus niger mainly feed on plankton 2 They are known to exhibit a high level of intelligence for a fish and have the ability to learn from previous experiences 3 5 Some triggerfish species can be quite aggressive when guarding their eggs Both the Picasso Rhinecanthus aculeatus and titan triggerfish Balistoides viridescens viciously defend their nests against intruders including scuba divers and snorkelers Their territory extends in a cone from the nest toward the surface so swimming upwards can put a diver further into the fishes territory a horizontal swim away from the nest site is best when confronted by an angry triggerfish Unlike the relatively small Picasso triggerfish the titan triggerfish poses a serious threat to inattentive divers due to its large size and powerful teeth 6 Male territoriality edit Triggerfish males migrate to their traditional spawning sites prior to mating and establish territories Some male species i e Balistes carolinensis and Pseudobalistes flavimarginatus build hollow nests within their territories 7 Triggerfish males are fierce in guarding their territories as having a territory is essential for reproduction A male s territory is used for spawning and parental care Most male territories are located over a sandy sea bottom or on a rocky reef A single territory usually includes more than one female and the male mates with all of the females residing in or visiting his territory polygyny In Hachijojima Izu Islands Japan one male crosshatch triggerfish Xanthichthys mento has up to three females in his territory at the same time and mates with them in pairs Each male red toothed triggerfish Odonus niger mates with more than 10 females in his territory on the same day 8 Yellow margin triggerfish Pseudobalistes flavimarginatus also exhibit polygyny Spawning and biparental care edit Triggerfish spawning is timed in relation to lunar cycles tides and time of changeover of tides In relation to lunar cycles eggs are observed 2 6 days before the full moon and 3 5 days before the new moon In relation to tides spawning happens 1 5 days before the spring tide In relation to timing of tides eggs are observed on days when high tides take place around sunset 9 nbsp The titan triggerfish can move relatively large rocks when feeding and is often followed by smaller fish in this case orange lined triggerfish and moorish idol that feed on leftovers Male and female triggerfish perform certain prespawning behaviors blowing and touching 8 A male and female blow water on the sandy bottom usually in the same spot at the same time and set up their egg site They touch their abdomens on the bottom as if they are spawning During actual spawning eggs are laid on the sandy sea bottom triggerfish are demersal spawners despite their large size Eggs are scattered and attached to sand particles Triggerfish eggs are usually very small diameter of 0 5 0 6 mm 9 10 and are easily spread by waves After spawning both the male and female participate in caring for the fertilized eggs biparental egg care A female triggerfish stays near the spawning ground around 5 m off the bottom and guards the eggs within her territory against intruders Some common intruders include Parupeneus multifasciatus Zanclus cornutus Prionurus scalprum and conspecifics Besides guarding females roll fan and blow water on eggs to provide oxygen to the embryos thereby inducing hatching 11 This behavior of female triggerfish is called tending and males rarely perform this behavior A male triggerfish stays farther above the eggs and guards all the females and eggs in his territory Males exhibit aggressive behaviors against conspecific males near the boundaries of their territories Mating systems edit In crosshatch triggerfish Xanthichthys mento and yellow margin triggerfish Pseudobalistes flavimarginatus eggs are spawned in the morning and they hatch after the sunset on the same day After hatching of embryos the female crosshatch triggerfish leaves the male s territory This mating system is an example of male territory visiting polygamy Triggerfishes exhibit other types of mating systems as well such as a nonterritorial female NTF polygyny and territorial female TF polygyny In NTF polygyny nonterritorial females stay in the male s territory and reproduce In TF polygyny a female owns territory within a male s territory and will spawn in her territory 8 Life history editTriggerfish lay their demersal eggs in a small hole dug in the sea bottom Off Florida juveniles of some species of triggerfishes are found in floating Sargassum where they feed on the small shrimp crabs and mollusks found there 12 Edibility edit nbsp Grey triggerfish caught off the coast of MadeiraSome species of triggerfish such as the titan triggerfish may be ciguatoxic and should be avoided 2 Others however such as the grey triggerfish Balistes capriscus are edible 13 Gallery edit nbsp The reef triggerfish is the state fish of Hawaii nbsp Most triggerfish are aggressive but few match the orange lined triggerfish 3 nbsp The gilded triggerfish is among the few sexually dimorphic triggerfish The female lacks the blue throat and yellow fin edging nbsp The redtoothed triggerfish is one of the relatively few planktivores of the family nbsp The queen triggerfish has elegant extensions to its fins nbsp Adult sargassum triggerfish live around reefs and banks but juveniles live around sargassum References edit Matsuura Keiichi 2014 Taxonomy and systematics of tetraodontiform fishes a review focusing primarily on progress in the period from 1980 to 2014 PDF Ichthyological Research 62 1 72 113 doi 10 1007 s10228 014 0444 5 S2CID 15223867 a b c d e Lieske Ewald Myers Robert 1999 Coral Reef Fishes Caribbean Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean including the Red Sea Princeton University Press ISBN 0 691 00481 1 a b c McDavid Jim July 2007 Aquarium Fish Triggerfish Advanced Aquarist Vol VI no VII Archived from the original on 6 June 2017 Froese Rainer Pauly Daniel eds 2015 Pseudobalistes naufragium in FishBase February 2015 version Debelius Helmut 1993 Indian Ocean Tropical Fish Guide Aquaprint Verlags GmbH ISBN 3 927991 01 5 Randall J E Millington J T 1990 Triggerfish bite a little known Marine hazard Journal of Wilderness Medicine 1 2 79 85 doi 10 1580 0953 9859 1 2 79 Lobel Philip S Johannes Robert E September 1980 Nesting egg and larvae of triggerfish Balistidae Environmental Biology of Fishes 5 3 251 252 doi 10 1007 bf00005359 S2CID 3213367 a b c Kawase Hiroshi March 2003 Spawning behavior and biparental egg care of the crosshatch triggerfish Xanthichthys mento Balistidae Environmental Biology of Fishes 66 3 211 219 doi 10 1023 a 1023978722744 S2CID 35997227 a b Gladstone William March 1994 Lek like spawning parental care and mating periodicity of the triggerfish Pseudobalistes flavimarginatus Balistidae Environmental Biology of Fishes 39 3 249 257 doi 10 1007 bf00005127 S2CID 36747250 Kawase Hiroshi 2003 Maternal egg care in the bridled triggerfish Sufflamen fraenatus Balistidae at Hachijojima island Japan Natural History Research 7 193 197 Reebs Stephan G 2011 2015 Are fishes good parents PDF Universite de Moncton Archived PDF from the original on 4 March 2016 via howfishbehave ca Matsuura K Tyler J C 1998 Paxton John R Eschmeyer William N eds Encyclopedia of Fishes A Comprehensive Guide by International Experts San Diego Academic Press pp 228 229 ISBN 0 12 547665 5 Evans Jade How To Cook Triggerfish In The Most Delicious Way MarvelousChef com Archived from the original on 29 July 2017 Retrieved 4 July 2017 External links edit nbsp Media related to Balistidae at Wikimedia Commons nbsp Data related to Balistidae at Wikispecies nbsp The dictionary definition of Balistidae at Wiktionary Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Triggerfish amp oldid 1154812632, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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