English Name: Redtoothed triggerfish
Family: BALISTIDAE
Local Name: Vaalan rondu
Order: Tetraodontiformes
Size: Max. 40 cm
Specimen: MRS/0337/89
Distinctive Characters: Dorsal fin with 3 spines and 33-36 rays. Anal fin with 28-31 rays. Pectoral fin with 14-15 rays. Cheeks scaled. Margins of soft dorsal and anal fins distinctly concave. Caudal fin lunate, the lobes greatly prolonged in adults.
Colour: Body deep blue, sometimes very dark, or brownish, or greenish. Teeth red.
Habitat and Biology: Found on upper part of seaward reef below reef edge. Feeds mainly on
zooplankton and also sponges.
Distribution: Indo-Pacific.
Remarks: Odunus niger is possibly the commonest Maldivian triggerfish. Large groups can be seen swimming up in the water column above the reef slope. At night, and when harassed, they take refuge in small crevices with just their turquoise scissor-like tail showing.