Balistes vetula
| Ecological Descriptors |
||||
| Habitat | Size (cm) | Diet | Behaviour | Sex |
| Co, R | 60 | Ech, Veg, Cru, Wor | Sh, I | F |
Description:
Adult: Body oval, relatively deep, robust and laterally compressed. Purple to green to yellowish to brown, with yellow lower head and chest. 2 oblique bright blue lines on cheek. Fine blue lines with yellow borders radiating from eye. Tail base with blue bar dorsal, anal and tail fins edged in blue. Streaming tips on tail.
Juvenile: Grey brown, blue oblique lines across lower head. Dashed oblique black lines on body.
Ecology
Found over rocky or coral areas at depths usually from 3 to 30m (10 - 100ft) down to 275m (900ft) May form schools, sometimes solitary over sand and grassy areas. Prey items include macroalgae, bivalves, crabs, starfish, sea cucumbers, shrimps and polychaete worms. It predatess on sea urchins by blowing water to overturn them and then attacks it where the spines are short.
Life Cycle:
Male Queen Triggerfish establish territories of approximately 10m (30ft) in diameter, attracting several females. Nests are built in the sand by moving fins rapidly or creating a current by blowing water with the mouth near the bottom to create sand bowls. The eggs are released into these bowls after a courtship ritual. The nest is defended by the mating pair, reproduction occurs year-round, peaking in the autumn and again in the winter. Size at 1st maturity ~18cm and lives for 7 to 16 years.
Adult: Body oval, relatively deep, robust and laterally compressed. Purple to green to yellowish to brown, with yellow lower head and chest. 2 oblique bright blue lines on cheek. Fine blue lines with yellow borders radiating from eye. Tail base with blue bar dorsal, anal and tail fins edged in blue. Streaming tips on tail.
Juvenile: Grey brown, blue oblique lines across lower head. Dashed oblique black lines on body.
Ecology
Found over rocky or coral areas at depths usually from 3 to 30m (10 - 100ft) down to 275m (900ft) May form schools, sometimes solitary over sand and grassy areas. Prey items include macroalgae, bivalves, crabs, starfish, sea cucumbers, shrimps and polychaete worms. It predatess on sea urchins by blowing water to overturn them and then attacks it where the spines are short.
Life Cycle:
Male Queen Triggerfish establish territories of approximately 10m (30ft) in diameter, attracting several females. Nests are built in the sand by moving fins rapidly or creating a current by blowing water with the mouth near the bottom to create sand bowls. The eggs are released into these bowls after a courtship ritual. The nest is defended by the mating pair, reproduction occurs year-round, peaking in the autumn and again in the winter. Size at 1st maturity ~18cm and lives for 7 to 16 years.
Queen Triggerfish
Queen Triggerfish Juvenile
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