Teleostei (teleosts) > Tetraodontiformes (Puffers and filefishes) > Balistidae (Triggerfishes)
Etymology: Rhinecanthus: Greek, rhinos = nose + Greek, akantha = thorn (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Linnaeus.

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 50 m (Ref. 7348); tropical; 30°N - 30°S -.

Indo-Pacific: East Africa eastward through northern Australia to Hawaiian, Marquesas and Tuamotu islands, north to southern Japan.

Maturity: L_m 14.0, range ? - ? cm
Max length: 30.0 cm TL male/unsexed (Ref. 4420); common length: 15.0 cm TL male/unsexed (Ref. 5450).

Dorsal spines (total): 3; Dorsal soft rays (total): 23 - 26; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 21 - 23. Description: Characterized by generally whitish body color with yellow band from snout intersecting with dark bar through eye; dark brown area on middle of body connected to diagonal dark bands above anal fin; caudal fin base with rows of black dots; front of eye with deep groove; nearly straight dorsal and ventral head profiles; small, anterior projecting spines on caudal peduncle and adjacent posterior body in three horizontal rows; rounded caudal fin (Ref. 90102).

Commonly found in subtidal reef flats and shallow protected lagoons, Ref. 48637Benthopelagic (Ref. 58302). Juveniles secretive with rubble patches, adults swim about openly but are usually shy (Ref. 48637). Territorial. Feed on algae, detritus, mollusks, crustaceans, worms, sea urchins, fishes, corals, tunicates, forams, and eggs (Ref. 3921). Oviparous (Ref. 205). Sleep on its side; makes a whirring noise when alarmed (Ref. 4420). Also caught with drive-in nets and is considered a popular aquarium fish (Ref. 9770).

Distinct pairing (Ref. 205). Mating system may be a mixture of polygyny, monogamy, and potential promiscuity in solitary females but the primary mating system considered for this species is polygyny (Ref. 116439). Females are territorial, solely tending and guarding the eggs (Ref. 116451). Males exhibit polygyny (Ref. 116451).

Myers, R.F. 1991 Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p. (Ref. 1602)

  Least Concern (LC); date assessed: January 14 2022

Not Evaluated

Not Evaluated

  Reports of ciguatera poisoning (Ref. 130160)

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Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 24.5 - 29, mean 27.7 °C (based on 1010 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5078 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01995 (0.01145 - 0.03476), b=2.92 (2.77 - 3.07), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.2 ±0.1 se; Based on diet studies.

Generation time: 2.7 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 1 growth studies.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.4).

Fishing vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low to moderate vulnerability (30 of 100).

Price category (Ref. 80766): Medium; Very questionable: based on ex-vessel price for species in this family.

Nutrients (Ref. 124155): Calcium = 46.5 [19.5, 110.3] mg/100g; Iron = 0.619 [0.323, 1.399] mg/100g; Protein = 18.3 [16.2, 20.5] %; Omega3 = 0.115 [0.058, 0.223] g/100g; Selenium = 34.7 [18.2, 72.2] μg/100g; VitaminA = 54.6 [15.8, 190.6] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.12 [0.76, 1.64] mg/100g (wet weight);