Wedgetail Triggerfish, Rhinecanthus rectangulus (Bloch & Schneider 1801)


Other Names: Black-banded Triggerfish, Black-banded Trigger-fish, Reef Triggerfish, Wedge-tail Triggerfish, Wedge-tail Trigger-fish, Wedge-tailed Triggerfish, White-barred Triggerfish

A Wedgetail Triggerfish, Rhinecanthus rectangulus, in the National Aquarium Washingotn, DC, USA. Source: Brian Gratwicke / Flickr. License: CC by Attribution

Summary:
A triggerfish with a pale brown to yellowish back, a pale grey to whitish head, a broad diagonal black band through the eye and pectoral fin base to the anal fin, and a black wedge-shaped mark on the caudal peduncle and rear of the body that is preceded by two yellow v-shaped marks (white in juveniles).

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2019, Rhinecanthus rectangulus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 30 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/770

Wedgetail Triggerfish, Rhinecanthus rectangulus (Bloch & Schneider 1801)

More Info


Distribution

Ningaloo Reef to the Dampier Archipelago and offshore reefs of Western Australia, and Ashmore Reef, Timor Sea, and the northern Great Barrier Reef and reefs in the Coral Sea, Queensland, to at least North Solitary Island, New South Wales, with juveniles as far south as Kiama, New South Wales; also Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean, and Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical, Indo-west-central Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa, to Hawaii and the Pitcairn islands, and north to Japan.
Individuals or small groups inhabit reef flats and shallow outer reefs that are affected by surge.

Species Citation

Balistes rectangulus Bloch & Schneider  1801, Systema Ichthyologiae: 465. Type locality: Indian Ocean.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2019

Resources

Australian Faunal Directory

Wedgetail Triggerfish, Rhinecanthus rectangulus (Bloch & Schneider 1801)

References


Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls. 

Allen, G.R., Hoese, D.F., Paxton, J.R., Randall, J.E., Russell, B.C., Starck, W.A., Talbot, F.H. & Whitley, G.P. 1976. Annotated checklist of the fishes of Lord Howe Island. Records of the Australian Museum 30(15): 365-454 figs 1-2 

Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp. 

Allen, G.R. & Russell, B.C. 1986. Part VII Fishes. pp. 79-103 in Berry, P.F. (ed.). Faunal Surveys of the Rowley Shoals, Scott Reef and Seringapatam Reef, northwestern Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 25: 1-106 

Allen, G.R. & Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 1994. Fishes of Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin 412: 1-21 

Allen, G.R. & Steene, R.C. 1988. Fishes of Christmas Island Indian Ocean. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 197 pp.

Allen, G.R., Steene, R.C. & Orchard, M. 2007. Fishes of Christmas Island. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 2 edn, 284 pp.  

Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls. 

Anonymous [Lacepède] 1798. [Review of] Tome I of `Histoire naturelle des poissons' by Lacepède (1798). Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung 1798 (3) (287) (for 24 Sept. 1798): columns 673-680. (as Balistes echarpe)

Bloch, M.E. & Schneider, J.G. 1801. Systema Ichthyologiae Iconibus ex Illustratum. Berlin 584 pp. 110 pls. 

Castelnau, F.L. de 1873. Contribution to the ichthyology of Australia. 6. Notes on fishes from Knob Island. Proceedings of the Zoological and Acclimatisation Society of Victoria 2: 98-109 (as Balistes garnoti)

Francis, M. 1993. Checklist of the coastal fishes of Lord Howe, Norfolk, and Kermadec Islands, southwest Pacific Ocean. Pacific Science 47(2): 136-170 figs 1-2 

Grant, E.M. 1975. Guide to Fishes. Brisbane : Queensland Government, Co-ordinator General’s Department 640 pp. 

Grant, E.M. 1991. Fishes of Australia. Brisbane : EM Grant Pty Ltd 480 pp. 

Hutchins, J.B. 1994. A survey of the nearshore reef fish fauna of Western Australia's west and south coasts — The Leeuwin Province. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 46: 1-66 figs 1-6 

Johnson, J.W. 2010. Fishes of the Moreton Bay Marine Park and adjacent continental shelf waters, Queensland, Australia. pp. 299-353 in Davie, P.J.F. & Phillips, J.A. Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Marine Biological Workshop, The Marine Fauna and Flora of Moreton Bay. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 54(3) 

Kuiter, R.H. 1992. Tropical Reef-Fishes of the Western Pacific, Indonesia and Adjacent Waters. Jakarta : PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama 314 pp. pls. 

Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp. 

Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp. 

Marshall, T.C. 1964. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coastal Waters of Queensland. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 566 pp. 136 pls. 

Matsuura, K. 2001. Triacanthodidae, Triacanthidae, Balistidae. pp. 3902-3928 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 6 pp. 3381-4218. 

Oxley, W.G., Ayling, A.M., Cheal, A.J. & Thompson, A.A. 2003. Marine surveys undertaken in the Coringa-Herald National Nature Reserve, March-April 2003. Townsville : Australian Institute of Marine Science 59 pp. 

Oxley, W.G., Emslie, M., Muir, P. & Thompson, A.A. 2004. Marine surveys undertaken in the Lihou Reef National Nature Reserve, March 2004. Townsville : Australian Institute of Marine Science i-vii, 1-67 pp. 

Randall, J.E. 2005. Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press 707 pp. 

Randall, J.E. 2007. Reef and shore fishes of the Hawaiian Islands. Honolulu : University of Hawai'i 546 pp. 

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs. 

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs. 

Russell, B.C., Larson, H.K., Hutchins, J.B. & Allen, G.R. 2005. Reef fishes of the Sahul Shelf. The Beagle, Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory Supplement 1 2005: 83-105 

Whitley, G.P. 1959. Ichthyological snippets. The Australian Zoologist 12(4): 310-323 figs 1-3 (as Rhinecanthus echarpe)

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37465073

Depth:1-12 m

Fishing:Aquarium fish

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:25 cm TL

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CAAB distribution map