Queen triggerfish

The queen triggerfish (Balistes vetula) is a large triggerfish species found in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Its body coloration ranges from steel grey to olive green, but around the mouth are orange areas with striking electric blue rays. This species is commonly found in coral reefs or rocky bottoms of the sea. Its diet mainly composed of shelled invertebrates like crabs and sea urchins. When breeding, the queen triggerfish dig a sandpit with its fin to lay eggs and fiercely defend eggs. This species is an important food fish among Caribbean communities, often harvested by hook-and-lines or fish traps.

Habitat

The queen triggerfish generally resides in rocky seabed or coral reefs, but is occasionally found in sandy seabed or seagrass meadows. It could inhabit in water as deep as 275m, but is most commonly found in much shallower water no deeper than 30m.

Distribution

The queen triggerfish could be found in the Atlantic waters, most commonly in warmer regions. In the Western Atlantic, its range spans from Massachusetts to Brazil, as well as the Caribbean Sea. It's most common in Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. While on the Eastern Atlantic, its range stretches from the Azores to Southern Angola.

Behaviour

The queen triggerfish feeds on a variety of prey items, mainly on sea urchins, crabs and chitons, but also occasionally preys on shrimps, snails, bivalves, small fishes and brittle stars. When feeding, it generally repeatedly bites the victim in order to crush its shell or detach it from the reef by sharp incisors. In this process, the queen triggerfish may swallow the prey and immediately split it out. Purposes of such behavior include to repositioning the prey for further bites or removing inedible parts. However, in occasions that it is foraging a more agile and fast-swimming prey, it would simply suck the prey into its mouth.