Reef triggerfish

Reef triggerfish
	Adult in Hanauma Bay, Hawaii
	Rhinecanthus rectangulus, X-ray image
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Tetraodontiformes
Family:	Balistidae
Genus:	Rhinecanthus
Species:	R. rectangulus
Binomial name
	Rhinecanthus rectangulus; (Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801)

The reef triggerfish (Rhinecanthus rectangulus) is one of several species of triggerfish. It is also known as the rectangular triggerfish, wedgetail triggerfish,^[1] or by its Hawaiian name humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa, meaning 'triggerfish with a snout like a pig'^[2].

The reef triggerfish is found at reefs in the Indo-Pacific^[3] and is the state fish of Hawaii.

Description

The fish's teeth and top lip are blue, and the teeth are set close together inside its plump mouth. Its body is laterally compressed (flattened from side to side).^[4]

It has a small second dorsal spine which is used to lock its main spine into an upright position. This locking helps protect it from predators.

State fish

The reef triggerfish was designated the official fish of Hawaii in 1985, but lost this title in 1990 due to the expiration of a state law. However, on April 17, 2006, the triggerfish became the state fish of Hawaii once again.

References

↑ "Wedgetail Triggerfish - Rhinecanthus rectangulus - Triggerfishes - Reef Triggerfish - Hawaii Reefs". reefguide.org. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
↑ humuhumunukunukuapua'a. humuhumunukunukuapua'a. (n.d.) American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. (2011). Accessed on The Free Dictionary. Retrieved on 2015-05-18.
↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2005). "Rhinecanthus rectangulus" in FishBase. December 2005 version.
↑ Browning, Isabel. "The Incredible Diversity of Fish: How Form Equals Function | Smithsonian Ocean". ocean.si.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-02.

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[1] "Wedgetail Triggerfish - Rhinecanthus rectangulus - Triggerfishes - Reef Triggerfish - Hawaii Reefs". reefguide.org. Retrieved 2020-03-01.

[2] umuhumunukunukuapua'a. humuhumunukunukuapua'a. (n.d.) American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. (2011). Accessed on The Free Dictionary. Retrieved on 2015-05-18.

[fishbase-3] Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2005). "Rhinecanthus rectangulus" in FishBase. December 2005 version.

[4] Browning, Isabel. "The Incredible Diversity of Fish: How Form Equals Function | Smithsonian Ocean". ocean.si.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-02.

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