📸 PhotoPhoto: Stan Shebs · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Clown triggerfish
Balistoides conspicillum (Clown triggerfish · モンガラカワハギ)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its maximum length of 50 cm is about 8 cm longer than the long side of an A3 sheet of paper (42 cm) (Comparison).
- 💡 FishBase notes that it is among the most prized aquarium fishes and is also sold fresh, though there are reports of ciguatera poisoning.
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
The Clown triggerfish is a triggerfish with striking markings that lives on coral reefs in the Indian and Pacific oceans. It is solitary and rare across most of its range.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Its body is short and deep, with yellow and black spots on the back and large white spots on the belly. The area around the mouth is orange-yellow, and it has 3 dorsal fin spines.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It feeds on sea urchins, crustaceans such as crabs, mollusks, and tunicates. Adults swim openly along deep drop-offs and hide in caves when approached, while juveniles stay hidden in small caves.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List LC (2022) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/193740/2269848
- • IUCN Red List category LC — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • catalogueoflife.org — KH7P
- • iucnredlist.org — 2269848
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000059339 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000059339
- • wikidata.org — Q973548
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Balistoides conspicillum 2.jpg
- • fishbase.se — Balistoides-conspicillum.html
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — author not recorded · CC0 1.0 (Related taxon silhouette — Balistes capriscus)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.