Orange-lined triggerfish
Balistapus undulatus
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Orange-lined triggerfish
- Scientific
- Balistapus undulatus
- Dhivehi
- ދަތްފުކު ރޮނޑުDhaifuku rondu
- Group
- Reef fish
- Maximum size
- Up to about 30 cm (total length); commonly 26 cm (FishBase); MRS 1997 gives max. 30 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 0 to 60 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2022
Description
A dark green to brown triggerfish covered in curving bright orange lines, with orange fins and a large dark patch around the tail spines; males lose the orange lines on the snout. It has an extremely varied diet, from coral tips, algae and sea urchins to crabs, molluscs and small fish. It is territorial and lays eggs in a shallow pit on sand or rubble, which the female guards.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name dhaifuku rondu (MRS 1997). MRS calls it a common inhabitant of Maldivian reefs.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Balistapus-undulatus.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- fishbase.se /comnames/CommonNamesList.php?ID=6025&GenusName=Balistapus&SpeciesName
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ދަތްފުކު_ރޮނޑު
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Pez_ballesta_ondulado_(Balistapus_undulatus),_mar_Rojo,_Egi
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives (FAO/BOBP MAG/21) gives 'Dhaifuku rondu' (Latin form). FishBase (country: Maldives) agrees: 'Daiyfuku rondu'. Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ދަތްފުކު ރޮނޑު' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition); it matches the Latin form. FishBase also lists 'Rondu' under India (Minicoy/Lakshadweep Mahl dialect); not used.