Rhinecanthus verrucosus

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular names
English : Blackbelly triggerfish
French : Baliste Picasso à ventre noir

Classification
Class : Teleostei
Order : Tetraodontiformes
Family : Balistidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can grow to 23 cm in length. Losange-shaped body. Coloration grey-white with slight olive tinge, white belly with broad black blotch on back half. Blue tinge around mouth, red line from snout to belly. Black spines near tail.

Range and habitat
The species occurs in the Indo-Pacific area from the Chagos archipelago to Indonesia and Solomon Islands, north to south Japan, south to Vanuatu. Lives in reef flats and protected lagoons, in rubble and algae-rich areas, to 20 m.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Not Listed
Status : The species could be declining locally because of habitat loss and overcollection for the trade.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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