The black background is covered by large white ovals on the bottom half and yellow rings on the upper half of the fish. The bright color pattern of clown triggerfish gives the fish their name. Clown triggerfish grow to a length of about 20 inches (50 centimeters). The second spine is the trigger for locking the first spine into an upright position. There are three spines in the front dorsal fin. The pelvic fins are fused into a single spine. Physical characteristics: Clown triggerfish have an oval body that is narrow from side to side. CLOWN TRIGGERFISH ( Balistoides conspicillum): SPECIES ACCOUNTS The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists three species of pufferfishes, triggerfishes, and their relatives as Vulnerable, or facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. Many species are collected for aquariums. Some are caught and sold for food but must be prepared very carefully because they are poisonous. Some of these fishes are caught for sport. Many pufferfishes, triggerfishes, and their relatives are eaten by the people who live near where the fish live. PUFFERFISHES, TRIGGERFISHES, THEIR RELATIVES, AND PEOPLE The eggs of most of these fishes hatch into free-floating larvae (LAR-vee), or the early stage that must change form before becoming adults. Some lay eggs in nests on the bottom and guard them. Some release eggs that sink to the bottom, and others release eggs that drift in open water. Scientists know little about the reproduction of pufferfishes, triggerfishes, and their relatives. Some species form mating pairs that patrol a home territory. Others gather in groups of hundreds in open water to look for food. Some of these fishes live alone and are aggressive in defending their territory. ![]() The color patterns show attackers that these fishes are poisonous and help the fishes hide themselves in seaweed or coral. To defend themselves, pufferfishes, triggerfishes, and their relatives use their body armor, ability to inflate, and ability to produce poison. Algae (AL-jee) are plantlike growths that live in water and have no true roots, stems, or leaves. Plankton is microscopic plants and animals drifting in water. Pufferfishes, triggerfishes, and their relatives eat plankton, algae, and invertebrates (in-VER-teh-brehts), or animals without backbones. Most freshwater species are bottom dwellers. Some of these fishes live in open water, and others enter estuaries (EHS-chew-air-eez), or the areas where rivers meet the sea. ![]() Some of these fishes are bottom dwellers in deep and others in shallow water. Most pufferfishes, triggerfishes, and their relatives live in the sea, but at least twenty species live in freshwater. Pufferfishes, triggerfishes, and their relatives live all over the world. Some of these fishes have body armor, some have spines covering their bodies, some produce poison, and some can blow themselves up like a balloon. Some of these fishes have rounded foreheads and beaks, and others have a tubelike snout. The colors range from bright to dull and from solid to wild patterns. The body shape ranges from long and thick to tall and narrow. ![]() ![]() Other than that, these fishes are amazingly different from one another. If present, the pelvic fins, the pair that corresponds to the rear legs of four-footed animals, are only spines on the belly. Pufferfishes, triggerfishes, and their relatives have teeth that are fused together. PUFFERFISHES, TRIGGERFISHES, AND RELATIVES: Tetraodontiformes CLOWN TRIGGERFISH ( Balistoides conspicillum): SPECIES ACCOUNTS WHITE-SPOTTED PUFFER ( Arothron hispidus): SPECIES ACCOUNTS SPOTTED TOBY ( Canthigaster solandri): SPECIES ACCOUNTS PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
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