Colours

Distinguishing features

A medium sized fish with a light brown body and pale underparts. A yellow stripe runs posteriorally from the mouth, and a series of white stripes run diagonally down to the anal fin. Swims using an undulating motion of the dorsal and anal fins.

Size

Depth range

Synonyms

Distribution

Distribution and habitat preferences

Rubble areas on reef flats, and rubble zones adjacent to rocky shores.

Found in most reef habitats around the island.

Local abundance

Behaviour

Hawaiian Triggerfishes are usually found singly or in loose groups, roaming slowly over rubble areas searching for their invertebrate prey. They have powerful jaws with large teeth and can feed on a wide range of food items, including molluscs, crustaceans, worms and echinoderms. They are shy fish and will retire into a hole if approached too closely.

This species is gonochoric and sexually dimorphic, with seperate sexes throught the life span and larger males. Triggerfishes have demersal eggs which they lay in a benthic nest which is closely guarded by the female for 3-5days until the larvae hatch.The newly settled juveniles are often found in the high intertidal near rocky shores.

Web resources

References