Species: Xanthichthys ringens, Sargassum triggerfish


Xanthichthys ringens (Linnaeus, 1758)
Sargassum triggerfish
Body an elongate oval, robust, compressed; cheeks scaly, with 5-6 scaleless oblique grooves; distinct groove before eye and below nostril; a small mouth that opens a little above center line of body, lower jaw projecting, with powerful jaws made up of 8 heavy, outer teeth on the upper and lower jaws, teeth notched, uneven in size; gill opening a short slit on side before pectoral base; dorsal fin III, 1st can be locked erect, 2nd > ½ the size of 1st, last (3rd) dorsal spine very small, under skin, + 26-30; anal fin 23-27; front rays of soft dorsal and anal fins higher than rear rays; most rays of dorsal, anal and pectoral fins branched; pelvic fins externally reduced to 4 pairs of large scales encasing end of pelvis; tail base without ridges; tail concave; thick leathery skin, with large plate-like, diagonally arranged scales; body scales somewhat separated, with dark pigment between them forming cross-hatched color pattern; no patch of enlarged scales immediately behind gill slit; lateral line inconspicuous.
Blue grey; outer part of eye in a blue-white ring; grooves on cheek deep blue; base of dorsal and anal fins and membranes of 1st dorsal dark brown; body scales with an elongate black spot, in rows along sides; tail fin with orange-red edging top, bottom and rear.
Size to 25 cm.
Habitat: Young live in floating sargassum; adults on reefs.
Depth: 0-190 m, adults usually at 30-60 m.
North Carolina to Brazil.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom + water column
- Bottom
- Near Bottom
- Habitat
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- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Reef only
- Flotsam
- Rocks
- Water column
- Corals
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Planktivore
- Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
-
- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Sea-stars/cucumbers/urchins
- Pelagic jellyfish/ctenophores
- Zooplankton
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Benthic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- All species.
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
-
- All species..
- Extends N + S of GC
- Also in Brazil
- Extends North of GC
- Continent + Island (s)
- Extends South of GC
- Island (s)
- Continent
- GC non-endemic
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 25
- Depth Range Min
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- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 190