Rough triggerfish (Canthidermis maculata) is a saltwater species recorded in Taiwan, United States. It is mainly found over reef, at depths of 1–110 m.
Scientific name: Canthidermis maculata · Water: Saltwater
Size: up to 50 cm
The rough triggerfish is a balistid that stays epipelagic almost throughout its life, occurring in shallow coastal and offshore waters and often associating with drifting objects, though it may also appear on deep rocky slopes. It feeds on zooplankton, and catches suggest it schools in large numbers. It is circumglobal in warm and tropical seas but absent from the Mediterranean. It is a commercial and game species and sells at a medium price. Maximum length is about 50 cm total length, commonly about 35 cm. It is a subtropical species, found from 1 to 110 m and recorded from 46°N to 18°S. Trophic level is 3.5, fishing vulnerability moderate at 44 of 100, and resilience medium. IUCN lists it as least concern.
Adults and juveniles are coloured differently: adults are blue-greyish while juveniles are greyish black with white spots that fade as the fish ages, and during mating adults may show dark blotches on the face and the pectoral fins. The range is broad and worth setting out: in the western Pacific from the Gulf of Thailand north to the Yellow Sea and Japan and east to the Philippines, Indonesia, Polynesia and Hawaii; in the eastern Pacific from Mexico and the Gulf of California south to Peru and the Galapagos Islands; in the Indian Ocean from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Seychelles, the Maldives, the Persian Gulf, India, Sri Lanka, the Andaman Sea, Australia and Indonesia; in the western Atlantic from New York south to the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, the Caribbean and Brazil; in the eastern Atlantic from the British Isles and the Bay of Biscay to the Azores, the Canary Islands and western Africa; and there are populations off South Africa as well. It favours warm water with high biodiversity, strong surface currents and upwelling systems, and occurs on deep slopes offshore and in open water, as well as gathering beneath fish aggregating devices, where groups of hundreds or even thousands have been seen. In the Philippines it is locally called Tikos in Cebuano and is abundant in the Visayas and Mindanao.
Caution: large individuals carry a ciguatera risk. Heat, cold and marinating do not remove the toxin, which concentrates in the liver, roe and head, so avoid eating those parts. Seek medical help if numbness, tingling or a reversed sense of hot and cold follows a meal.
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