Canthidermis maculata
Rough Triggerfish
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Tetraodontiformes (Pufferfishes and Allies)
Balistidae (Triggerfishes)
Canthidermis
Canthidermis maculata (Rough Triggerfish)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
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Characters
Evenly scaled cheeks; deep groove in front of eye; jaw teeth with scalloped biting surfaces, lateral teeth diagonally oriented and converging medially; upper jaw with two rows of teeth (8 outer, 6 inner); lower jaw with single row of teeth; gill opening slitlike, above pectoral fin base; gill rakers on first arch 24-32; head length 34%-36% SL, snout length 19%-23% SL, eye diameter 7%-9% SL, pectoral fin length 13%-15% SL, body depth 51%-61% SL; pectoral fin rays 13-15; second dorsal fin rays 23-25; anal fin rays 20-22; second dorsal and anal fins elevated anteriorly, becoming falcate in large specimens; caudal fin slightly truncate in juveniles, double emarginate in adults; scales in horizontal series 36-41; scales above pectoral fin base not enlarged or fused into tympanum; vertebrae 18 (7 precaudal, 11 caudal)
Brown, slightly lighter ventrally, with small oval spots on body and fins
Distribution
New Jersey and Bermuda to Argentina, including the Florida Keys, the northern and western Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Greater and Lesser Antilles
Northern and western Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Tropical to warm temperate seas, associated with flotsam
Biology
Maximum known size 500 mm TL
Found in shallow coastal and offshore waters (Ref. 9276, 11230). Epipelagic nearly all throughout life, often associated with drifting objects (Ref. 1602, 44187). May occur on deep rocky slopes (Ref. 7251). Feeds on zooplanktons (Ref. 89972). Appear to school in large numbers based on catches from set nets (Ref. 637). Oviparous (Ref. 205). Marketed fresh (Ref. 9770).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; guarders (nesters). Distinct pairing (Ref. 205).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2011-06-07. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish.
References
Berry and Baldwin 1966
Moore 1967
Randall 1996
Matsuura 1983t
Matsuura 2001a
Matsuura 2002b
Robins and Ray 1986
Smith and Heemstra 1986a
Smith 1997
Hoese and Moore 1998
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Thresher, R.E. (1984) Reproduction in reef fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Neptune City, New Jersey. 399 p.
Myers, R.F. (1991) Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p.
Smith, M.M. and P.C. Heemstra (1986) Balistidae. p. 876-882. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Bussing, W.A. (1995) Balistidae. Pejepuercos, calafates, gatillos. p. 905-909. In W. Fischer, F. Krupp, W. Schneider, C. Sommer, K.E. Carpenter and V. Niem (eds.) Guia FAO para Identification de Especies para lo Fines de la Pesca. Pacifico Centro-Oriental. 3 Vols. FAO, Rome.
Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994) Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
Senta, T., M. Kimura and T. Kanbara (1993) Predation of fishes on open-ocean species of sea-skaters (Halobates spp.). Jap. J. Ichthyol. 40(2):193-198.
Myers, R.F. (1999) Micronesian reef fishes: a comprehensive guide to the coral reef fishes of Micronesia, 3rd revised and expanded edition. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 330 p.
Allen, G.R. and M.V. Erdmann (2012) Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth, Australia: Universitiy of Hawai'i Press, Volumes I-III. Tropical Reef Research.
Matsuura, K. (2015) Taxonomy and systematics of tetraodontiform fishes: a review focusing primarily on progress in the period from 1980 to 2014. Ichthyol. Res. 62(1):72-113. DOI: 10.1007/s10228-014-0444-5
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