Black-blotch Triggerfish

About

The black-blotch triggerfish (Rhinecanthus verrucosus) is one of the more visually complex members of the trigger family, carrying the same bold graphic patterning that made its cousin the Picassofish famous. The body is decorated with a large dark patch across the belly and a mosaic of lines and patches toward the face. Unmistakable once you know what you're looking at. In the wild, this species ranges across a broad sweep of the Indo-West Pacific, from the Seychelles and Chagos Archipelago down through northern Australia and up toward southern Japan, where it tends to settle into rubble-strewn reef flats and sheltered lagoons rather than exposed, high-energy reef zones. It often turns up in loose groups but will just as readily go solo. What sets it apart temperamentally from many of its trigger relatives is a noticeably cautious streak. Rather than standing its ground, it tends to bolt when approached, and smaller individuals will duck straight into a crevice or hole. That said, it's still a triggerfish, and tankmates need to be chosen carefully. Give it a spacious setup with plenty of structure, feed it a varied carnivore diet, and this is a genuinely rewarding species for a fishkeeper ready to move beyond the beginner stage.