Balistapus undulatus (Orange-striped triggerfish)
Dark green to brown with diagonally curved orange bands, large black spot on the tail base.
Unassessed by the IUCN Red list. It is a widespread species in tropical waters.
Red Sea and East Africa to Hawaii and French Polynesia, South Japan to Australia. They can be found in coral-rich areas of lagoons and outer reefs, in a depth range of 2-50 meters.
Spawning behaviour involves loose aggregations and nesting occurs in channels. The eggs are laid in a single spongy cluster in a shallow excavation in rubble or sand. Hatching occurs at night.
Up to 30 cm.
They feed on a lot of different prey, such as coral, algae, sponges, worms, crabs, urchins and fish.
Triggerfish tend to be extra territorial when they have eggs to guard, and can be aggressive towards visitors.
