Wedge-tail triggerfish

Rhinecanthus rectangulus

Fish
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth3–12 m
Water temperature21–30 °C
Best monthsApril and August
How commonCommon

About this species

The reef triggerfish, also known as the rectangular triggerfish, wedgetail triggerfish or by its Hawaiian name humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa, is one of several species of triggerfish. It is found in coral reefs in the entirety of the Western Pacific Ocean from North to South and Eastern Central Pacific. It is also found in the Indian Ocean from East to West and the Southeast Atlantic Ocean. It exists in 0 to 50 meters in depth.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Reef triggerfish”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 6 records
February: 55 records
March: 277 records
April: 597 records
May: 193 records
June: 258 records
July: 303 records
August: 383 records
September: 297 records
October: 201 records
November: 99 records
December: 23 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 3–12 m · Deepest record: 112.5 m

0–10 m: 1,932 records
10–20 m: 393 records
20–30 m: 14 records
30–40 m: 1 records
40–50 m: 1 records
50–60 m: 5 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 0 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 0 records
110–120 m: 1 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 21–30 °C

20–22 °C: 2 records
22–24 °C: 1 records
24–26 °C: 246 records
26–28 °C: 90 records
28–30 °C: 167 records

Names and classification

English: Wedge-tail triggerfish, Black-banded Trigger-fish, Black-banded Triggerfish, rectangular triggerfish, Reef Triggerfish, Wedge Picassofish, Wedge-tailed Triggerfish, wedge-tail triggerfish, Wedge-tail Trigger-fish, Wedgetail Triggerfish, Wedge Triggerfish, Wedge Triggerfish, Wedge-tail triggerfish, White-barred Triggerfish

Names in 7 more languages

German: Diamant-Picassodrückerfisch
Spanish: Ballesta Picasso de antifaz
Filipino: Pakoy, Papakol
French: Baliste Picasso à bandeau, Baliste picasso à chevrons
Japanese: Tasukimongara, タスキモンガラ
Thai: ปลาวัวหางลิ่ม
Simplified Chinese: 斜帶吻棘魨, 斜帶板機魨, 楔尾砲彈, 黑带锉鳞鲀, 黑帶銼鱗魨

Other scientific names: Balistapus rectangulus, Balistes echarpe, Balistes rectangulus, Rhinecanthus echarpe, Rhinecanthus rectangulatus, Rhinecanthus retangulus

Similar species

White-banded triggerfish
Rhinecanthus aculeatus
Blackbelly Picassofish
Rhinecanthus verrucosus
Flat-tailed Trigger-fish
Abalistes stellatus
Orange-lined triggerfish
Balistapus undulatus
Rough triggerfish
Canthidermis maculata
Black Triggerfish
Sufflamen chrysopterum

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
3,606 open-data records from 1758 to 2023.

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