Xanthichthys ringens
Sargassum Triggerfish
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Tetraodontiformes (Pufferfishes and Allies)
Balistidae (Triggerfishes)
Xanthichthys
Xanthichthys ringens (Sargassum 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.
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Characters
Distinct chin and three slightly diagonal grooves on cheeks. Jaw teeth have scalloped biting surfaces, and lateral teeth are diagonally oriented and converge medially. Gill opening is slitlike and located above pectoral fin base. Gill rakers on first arch number 36 to 40. Measurements are expressed as percent of SL: head length about 38%, snout length about 22%, eye diameter about 9%, pectoral fin length about 16%, and body depth about 56%. Pectoral fin has 13 or 14 rays. First dorsal fin spine is serrated along leading edge. Second dorsal fin has 26 to 29 rays. Anal fin has 23 to 27 rays. Second dorsal fin and anal fin are moderately elevated anteriorly. Caudal fin is slightly convex in juveniles and emarginate in adults. Scales above pectoral fin base are not enlarged or fused to form tympanum. Scales in lateral series number 39 to 44.
Color is light brownish gray, with rows of dark brown spots on body. Grooves on cheek are dark brown. Bases of second dorsal fin and anal fin are dark brown. Caudal fin has orangish red upper, lower, and posterior margins.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from South Carolina and Bermuda to north-eastern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Greater and Lesser Antilles.
Habitat Associations
Pelagic as juveniles, associated with Sargassum; benthic as adults, generally at depths greater than 31 m
Associated with Sargassum as juveniles
Biology
Maximum known size is 243 mm TL
Inhabits seaward reef slopes, usually well below 30 m, where in some places they are among the most common fish. Young live among floating Sargassum. Solitary or in small groups. Feeds on crabs and sea urchins. Spawns in deep water (Ref. 9710).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2011-06-07. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial.
References
Dawson 1962b
Moore 1967
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Randall 1968a
Randall 1996
Randall et al. 1978
Dennis and Bright 1988a
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Robins and Ray 1986
Schaldach et al. 1997
Matsuura 2002b
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994) Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
Randall, J.E. (1996) Caribbean reef fishes. Third Edition - revised and enlarged. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Hong Kong. 3nd ed. 368 p.
Hobson, E.S. (1974) Feeding relationships of teleostean fishes on coral reefs in Kona, Hawaii. Fish. Bull. 72(4):915-1031.
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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