Black triggerfish
Melichthys niger
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Black triggerfish
- Scientific
- Melichthys niger
- Dhivehi
- ކަޅު ރޮނޑުKalhu rondu
- Group
- Reef fish
- Maximum size
- Up to about 50 cm (total length); commonly 30 cm (FishBase); MRS 1997 gives max. 35 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 0 to 75 m (usually 0 to 20 m)
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2011
Description
A dark blue-green to black triggerfish with bright blue-white lines along the bases of the soft dorsal and anal fins and a notched tail. It gathers in loose groups near drop-offs on clear outer reefs, often rising well above the bottom to feed on zooplankton and drifting algae. It is most abundant around isolated oceanic islands.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name kalhu rondu (MRS 1997).
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Melichthys-niger.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ކަޅު_ރޮނޑު
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Melichthys_niger_on_Kona.jpg
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives (FAO/BOBP MAG/21) gives 'Kalhu rondu' (Latin form). Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ކަޅު ރޮނޑު' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition); it matches the Latin form. FishBase also lists 'Kalihi' under India (Minicoy/Lakshadweep Mahl dialect); not used.