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Black Triggerfish
Sufflamen chrysopterum (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
A Black Triggerfish at a depth of 15m, "Pixie's Pinnacle", Ribbon Reef #10, Great Barrier Reef off Cooktown, Queensland, June 2000. View larger image.
A Black Triggerfish at a depth of 17m, North Solitary Island, New South Wales, October 1999. View larger image.
A juvenile Black Triggerfish at a depth of 20m, North Solitary Island, New South Wales, January 1998. View larger image.
A juvenile Black Triggerfish at a depth of 5m, "The Cod Hole", Cormorant Pass, Great Barrier Reef off Lizard Island, Queensland, June 2000. View larger image.
The Black Triggerfish is brown with a green to yellow stripe from the eye to the pectoral fin base. The tail is yellow-brown with distinct white margins. The lower part of the head is often purplish-blue.
Juveniles are yellowish above, white below and black laterally. They have a yellow patch on the tail.
This species grows to 22cm in length.
It is usually seen in sheltered reef areas of the tropical Indo-West Pacific.
In Australia it is known from the central coast of Western Australia, around the tropical north and south to southern New South Wales.
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.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
