Bridled Triggerfish, Sufflamen fraenatum (Latreille 1804)

Other Names: Bridle Triggerfish, Bridled Trigger, Brown Triggerfish, Golden Triggerfish, Masked File Fish, Masked Triggerfish

Summary:

Bridled Triggerfish females are brown to yellowish-grey with a bright yellow bar on the lower lip; males have a yellow stripe from the upperlip almost to the pectoral-fin base.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2018, Sufflamen fraenatum in Fishes of Australia, accessed 19 Jan 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/774

Bridled Triggerfish, Sufflamen fraenatum (Latreille 1804)

More Info

Distribution	Shark Bay, Western Australia, to Ashmore Reef, Timor Sea, and the Northern Territory, to Sydney, New South Wales, including reefs in the Coral Sea, and Elizabeth Reef, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island in the Tasman Sea; also at Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean. Elsewhere the species is widespread in the Indo-Pacific from East Africa to the Pitcairn Islands and Hawaii, northwards to Japan and south to Lord Howe Island. The Bridled Triggerfish inhabits sandy, silty and rubble areas around rocky and coral reefs. A territorial species, especially during the breeding season.
Features	Dorsal fin III, 27-31; Anal fin 24-28.
Size	To about 38 cm
Feeding	Carnivore - feeds on a range of benthic fishes and invertebrates such as echinoids, crustaceans, polychaete worms, tunicates and forams; also consumes algae and detritus.
Biology
Fisheries	Although of no interest to fisheries in Australia, the Bridled Triggerfish is taken in subsistence fisheries in some parts of its range.
Conservation	EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed IUCN Red List : Least Concern
Etymology	The species name fraenatum is from Latin and means 'bridled'.
Species Citation	Balistes fraenatus Latreille 1804, Nouveau Dictionnaire d'Histoire Naturelle, (1st ed): 74. Type locality: Madagascar and Polynesia.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2018
Resources	Australian Faunal Directory

Bridled Triggerfish, Sufflamen fraenatum (Latreille 1804)

References

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