Species: Lactophrys triqueter, Smooth trunkfish


lips blackish
Lactophrys triqueter (Linnaeus, 1758)
Smooth trunkfish
Body oblong, with an obvious hump on back, thick, enclosed in a bony box or carapace formed by thickened, joined, enlarged scale plates that are usually hexagonal in shape; carapace has openings for mouth, eyes, gill slits and fins and tail, completely surrounds bases of both anal and dorsal fins, without spines before eyes, without a pair of spines at lower rear corner, last plates above and below tail base not prolonged as spines; mouth small, at front, lips fleshy; teeth moderate, conical, usually <15 per jaw; gill openings short, oblique slits in front of pectoral bases; no spiny dorsal, soft dorsal and anal fins at rear of carapace; no pelvic fins; tail base slender, flexible, tail fin a fan with a rounded end; dorsal, anal and pectoral fin rays branched; lateral line inconspicuous.
Blackish brown; numerous white, cream or yellow spots; an area on flank with a pale honey-comb pattern; lips and fin bases blackish. Juvenile: black, with white spots.
Reaches 30 cm.
Lives on reefs.
Depth range 2-79 m.
Massachusetts 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
- Habitat
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- Reef only
- Rocks
- Corals
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Sponges/seasquirts/bryozoa
- Sessile worms
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Data
- Sea-stars/cucumbers/urchins
- Mobile benthic worms
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- West Atlantic Endemic
- All species.
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent + Island (s)
- Extends N + S of GC
- All species..
- Extends North of GC
- GC non-endemic
- Extends South of GC
- Also in Brazil
- Continent
- Island (s)
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Temperate (>35N)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 30
- Depth Range Min
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- 2
- Depth Range Max
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- 79