Redtail Triggerfish (Xanthichthys mento)
- Other Common Names
- Blue-throat Triggerfish, Crosshatch Triggerfish
- Max. Length
- 30 centimeters
- Length at 1st Maturity
- 18.5 centimeters
- Depth Range
- 6 – 130 meters (20 – 430 feet)
- Frequency
- Abundant but vulnerable due to live aquarium fish trade
You can easily identify this type of triggerfish through its yellow-colored body that has many dark lines creating a pattern that looks like a crosshatch. Their face has a distinct blue lining that runs from the mouth up to the back portion of its gill plate earning it another name, the blue-throat triggerfish. Another distinguishing marks for this particular species are the brightly colored fins where the tail is described to have red undertone with a bright neon-blue lining.
Slightly Friendly rather than Ballistic
While we cannot discount that all the species of triggerfish are aggressive and territorial especially when it comes to guarding their eggs, the redtail triggerfish displays a slight mode of friendliness.
During your descent in one of the popular dive sites in Cocos Island, you will observe that a redtail triggerfish will come up and greet you while you are traversing your course towards the reef.
If you are interested to see more of its behavior, we suggest you stay in one corner of the reef not far from the lair of a redtail triggerfish. While establishing your neutral buoyancy for a nice view, you can see that a redtail triggerfish will usually re-arrange its surrounding landscape as it wanders around cracks and crevices. During this process, they are also hunting down food where their favorite meal includes small squids, fish, krill and even clams courtesy of their powerful teeth which constantly grows and sheds all the time.
Trivia: Have you ever heard of a grunting sound underwater? That sound comes from the redtail triggerfish where they are known to produce and vocalize sounds.
Reference
Fishbase: www.fishbase.org
IUCN Redlist of Threatened Species: www.iucnredlist.org
Marine Life Photography: www.marinelifephotography.com
Video courtesy from nikosnature
