The redtoothed triggerfish (''Odonus niger'') is a

triggerfish Triggerfish are about 40 species of often brightly colored marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Balistidae. Often marked by lines and spots, they inhabit tropical and subtropical oceans throughout the world, with the greatest speci ...

of the tropical

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

area, and the sole member of its

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

. Some other common names include blue triggerfish, redfang triggerfish, redtoothed filefish, and Niger triggerfish.

Distribution

The redtoothed triggerfish live in the widespread Indo-Pacific Ocean and Red Sea. They are found at the African east coast to Marquesas and Society islands. They can also be found as far north as Southern Japan and as far south as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

Description

Redtoothed triggerfish are normally deep purple with bluish-green markings on their heads and glowing light blue margins on the tail lobes and fins. Just like other fish in the family Balistidae, the tail is lyre-shaped. The mouth of the triggerfish seems to be grinning and it maintains tiny red teeth that are needle-sharp with two teeth in the upper jaw which can be seen when its mouth is closed. These triggerfish are one of the more peaceful triggers in the family but can become threatening with age and can perform a grunting-type sound. They can change their color depending on their mood, food, feeding, and water quality from purple to blue and bluish-green. Their pectoral fins are quite small; as a result, they steer mostly with their dorsal and

anal fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported o ...

s, which makes them very maneuverable, and they also use these fins to move with an exotic type of propulsion reminiscent of a propeller. It is one of the most singular swimming styles in the ocean.

Behavior and diet

Redtoothed triggerfish may inhabit reef channels or long slopes that have strong water currents. They survive by hiding under between rocks and crevices so they don't get swept away by the water currents. They also may live in the coastal shallow inshore waters at depths of around 30 – 100 feet (9 – 30 meters). Redtoothed triggerfish are omnivorous and mostly opportunistic feeders, with crustaceans as its primary food source. They also feed on zooplankton and algae, and remains of cephalopods and fishes have been found in their stomach.

Reproduction

The redtoothed triggerfish have distinct pairing. They meet at mating grounds where males set up their territories. They build nests to lay their eggs in. The females take care of the eggs while both males and females guard the eggs waiting for them to hatch. While they can breed in the wild, they can not breed in aquariums.

Gallery

File:Redtoothed triggerfish2.jpg, Group of redtoothed triggerfish feeding on plankton. File:Redtoothed triggerfish3.jpg, The red teeth are its distinguishing feature. File:Taman-nasional-wakatobi cropped.jpg, Shoals of redtoothed triggerfish and

threespot dascyllus The threespot dascyllus (''Dascyllus trimaculatus''), also known as the domino damsel or simply domino, is a species of damselfish from the family Pomacentridae. It is native to the Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea and East Africa, to the Pitcairn Is ...

Wakatobi National Park Wakatobi National Park is a marine national park in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. It was established in 2002. The name of Wakatobi is a portmanteau of the four main Tukangbesi Islands: Wangi-wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia, and Binongko. Since 2005 t ...

File:Odonus niger 296001703.jpg, In the

Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...

File:Odonus niger 283438686.jpg, In the Red Sea

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1342941 Balistidae Fish of Palau Fish described in 1836 Taxa named by Eduard Rüppell