Blackpatch Triggerfish, Rhinecanthus verrucosus (Linnaeus 1758)


Other Names: Black Patch Triggerfish, Blackbelly Picassofish, Blackbelly Triggerfish, Black-blotch Triggerfish, Black-blotch Trigger-fish

A Blackpatch Triggerfish, Rhinecanthus verrucosus, at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland. Source: Andy Lewis / Lizard Island Research Station. License: CC by Attribution

Summary:
A pale brown triggerfish becoming white below, with a large dark patch on the lower side, a narrow red stripe from the snout to the pectoral-fin base, vertical bars with pale margins running across the top of the head through the eye to the pectoral-fin base, and three rows of small black spines on the caudal peduncle.

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2023, Rhinecanthus verrucosus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 30 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/771

Blackpatch Triggerfish, Rhinecanthus verrucosus (Linnaeus 1758)

More Info


Distribution

Shark Bay, Western Australia, Ashmore Reef, Timor Sea, and the northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland and reefs in the Coral Sea, to Cook Island, northern New South Wales; also Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean. Elsewhere the species occurs in the Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea to South Africa, east to the Hawaii and Pitcairn Islands, north to southern Japan, and south to Australia and the Kermadec Islands, New Zealand.
Inhabits surge-affected reef flats and seaward reefs, commonly over barren rocks or the spur-and-groove zone where there is a mixture of bare rock, rubble and coral. 

Feeding

Feeds on algae, molluscs, crustaceans and other invertebrates.

Etymology

The specific name is from the latin verrucosa (= covered warts, warty) in referring to three rows of 'warts' or small black spines on the caudal peduncle.           

Species Citation

Balistes verrucosus Linnaeus 1758, Systema naturae I: 328. Type locality: India.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2023

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Blackpatch Triggerfish, Rhinecanthus verrucosus (Linnaeus 1758)

References


Allen, G.R. 1993. Fishes of Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 44: 67-91 

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

Bean, K., Jones, G.P. & Caley, M.J. 2002. Relationships among distribution, abundance and microhabitat specialisation in a guild of coral reef triggerfish (family Balistidae). Marine Ecology Progress Series 233: 263-272  https://doi.org/10.3354/meps233263

Francis, M.P. & Duffy, C.A.J. 2015. New records, checklist and biogeography of Kermadec Islands' coastal fishes. Bulletin of the Auckland Museum 20: 481-495.

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

Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundem classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentis, synonymis, locis. Editio decima, reformata. Holmiae : Laurentii Salvii Tomus I 824 pp. 

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. 

Matsuura, K. 2015. Taxonomy and systematics of tetraodontiform fishes: a review focusing primarily on progress in the period from 1980 to 2014. Ichthyological Research 62: 72-113.

Matsuura, K. 2022. Rhinecanthus rectangulus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T193713A2264564. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T193713A2264564.en. Accessed on 04 January 2024.

Munro, I.S.R. 1967. The Fishes of New Guinea. Port Moresby : Dept. Agric. Stock Fish. 651 pp. 23 figs 84 pls. 

Quoy, J.R.C. & Gaimard, J.P. 1824. Description des Poissons. Chapter IX. pp. 192-401 in Freycinet, L.C.D. de (ed.) Voyage autour du Monde, entrepris par ordre du Roi, exécuté sur les corvettes de S.M. Uranie et la Physicienne, pendant les années 1817, 1818, 1819 et 1820. Paris : Pillet Aîné Vol. 1 712 pp. 96 pls. (as Balistes spinosissimus)

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.

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37465074

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Depth:1-20 m

Fishing:Aquarium fish (uncommon)

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:23 cm TL

Species Image Gallery

Species Maps

CAAB distribution map