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Orange-lined Triggerfish
Balistapus undulatus (Park, 1797)
An Orange-lined Triggerfish at a depth of 17m, "Steve's Bommie", Ribbon Reef #3, Great Barrier Reef off Cooktown, Queensland, December 2001. View larger image.
An Orange-lined Triggerfish at a depth of 8m, Challenger Bay, Ribbon Reefs off Cooktown, Great Barrier Reef Queensland, June 2001. View larger image.
The Orange-lined Triggerfish can be recognised by its distinctive colouration. It is dark green, brown or greyish with diagonal orange to yellow lines on the body. There is a large black blotch on the caudal peduncle.
This species grows to 30cm in length.
It eats a wide range of food items. This includes live coral, algae, sea urchins, crabs, molluscs and other invertebrate groups as well a fishes and tunicates.
The Orange-lined Triggerfish occurs on coral reefs in tropical marine waters of the Indo-Pacific.
In Australia it is known from north-western Western Australia and the entire length of the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
- Allen, G.R. & R. Swainston. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 201.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
