Genus Sufflamen Jordan, 1916
Mouth terminal; teeth uneven, notched; enlarged bony
scales behind gill slit; deep groove before eye below nostrils; more or less enlarged tubercles on posterior body
scales; C truncate or slightly emarginate. Five species, 3
from our area; S. verres (Gilbert & Starks, 1904), restricted
to the eastern Pacific, has D III + 30-33; A 27-30; P 14-18. S.
albicaudatus (Riippell, 1829), a Red Sea endemic, differs
from S. chrysopterus in having the whole C encircled by a
white band becoming very thin on rear margin of fin.
KEY TO SPECIES
la Two dark vertical curved bands: one from above eye
to end below P base where it almost joins the other
across P base upwards to below 2nd D spine ................... S. bursa
1 b No dark vertical curved bands .............................................. 2
2a C of adults uniformly dark (light yellow in juveniles);
males have a line from corner of mouth down and
back, with another round chin ................................. S. fraenatus
2b Dark with white upper and lower margins and
broad white distal band .................................... S. chrysopterus
263.15 Sufflamen bursa
(Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
PLATE 139
Boomerang triggerfish
Boemerang-snellervis
Batistes bursa Bloch & Schneider, 1801: 476 (Indian Ocean).
Hemibatistes bursa: Smith, SFSA No. 1163*. Sufflamen bursa: Matsuura,
1980: 48*; Smith, 1980: 186.
DIll + 27-30; A 25-27; P 13-14; LS 43-50; head scale rows 27-30.
Blue line from corner of mouth turns white (or disappears) on preservation. Attains 25 cm. Tropical Indo-West
Pacific, south to Sodwana Bay.
263.16 Sufflamen chrysopterus
(Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
PLATES 139 & 140
Halfmoon triggerfish
Halfmaan-snellervis
Batistes chrysoptera Bloch & Schneider, 1801: 466 (East Indies & Coramandel). Hemibatistes chrysoptera: Smith, SFSA No. 1164*. Sufflamen
chrysopterus: Matsuura, 1980: 49*.
D III+26-28; A 23-26; P 12-14; LS 41-47; head scale rows 23-28; scales
with small spines forming longitudinal lines from C peduncle to below
middle of soft D.
Attains 30 cm. Common in Indo-West Pacific, especially
about reefs, south to Durban.
263: BALISTIDAE (TRIGGERFISHES)
263.17 Sufflamen fraenatus
(Latrielle, 1804)
PLATE 139
Bridle triggerfish
Toom-snellervis
Batistes fraenatus Latrielle, 1804: 74 (no locality). Sufflamen capistratus: Smith, SFSA No. 1162*. Sufflamenfraenatus: Matsuura, 1980: 51 *;
Smith, 1980: 186; Tyler, 1980: 125*.
D III+27-31; A 24-28; P 14-15; LS 43-54; head scale rows 25-32. In
some specimens, the "enlarged" tubercles on the posterior body scales are
scarcely discernible.
In males the yellow band from corner of mouth obliquely
backwards and band under chin turn white on preservation;
females and juveniles have no bands running backwards
from corner of mouth and the uniformly coloured young are
common among weeds. Attains nearly 40 cm. Indo-West
Pacific south to Natal.
Genus Xanthichthys Kaup, 1858
Mouth supraterminal, lower jaw juts out; teeth uneven,
notched; no enlarged bony scales behind gill slit; 3rd D
spine minute, not visible above dorsal edge of body.
Revised by Randall et al. (1978); 5 species: 1 West Atlantic,
4 Indo-West Pacific, differentiated by colour patterns and
various morphological features; 1 species in our area.
263.18 Xanthichthys lineopunctatus
(Hollard,1854)
PLATE 137
Striped triggerfish
Gestreepte snellervis
Batistes tineopunctatus Hollard, 1854: 65 (Reunion). Xanthichthys
ringens (non Linnaeus): Smith, SFSA No. 1165*. Xanthichthys tineopunctatus: Randall et al., 1978: 695*; Matsuura, 1980: 60*; Tyler, 1980: 121 *;
128*.
DIll +28-30; A 25-27; P 13-14; LS 44-50; C 12; head scale rows 17-21.
As illustrated, only 3 brown lines on cheek. Attains 30
cm. Indo-West Pacific, south to Port Alfred, rare.
Genus Xenobalistes Matsuura, 1981
Characterised by outrigger effect below P caused by large
bony disc-shaped expansion of the coracoids. Mouth terminal; teeth notched. Two species, X. tumidipectoralis Matsuura, 1981 (partly digested in the stomach of a blue marlin
caught near Mariana Ids. in the Pacific) differs in P 13, LS
35 and other minor points.
263.19 Xenobalistes punctatus
Heemstra & Smith, 1983
Outrigger triggerfish
Vlerkprou-snellervis
Xenobatistes punctatus Heemstra & Smith, 1983: 1, Figs. 1-3 (thrown
ashore at Van Staaden's River mouth, west of Algoa Bay).
D III+27; A 25; P 14; LS 46; head scale rows 21; shallow groove before
eye below nostril about halfway to mouth; lips rugose; supraorbital ridges
881
Mouth terminal; teeth uneven, notched; enlarged bony
scales behind gill slit; deep groove before eye below nostrils; more or less enlarged tubercles on posterior body
scales; C truncate or slightly emarginate. Five species, 3
from our area; S. verres (Gilbert & Starks, 1904), restricted
to the eastern Pacific, has D III + 30-33; A 27-30; P 14-18. S.
albicaudatus (Riippell, 1829), a Red Sea endemic, differs
from S. chrysopterus in having the whole C encircled by a
white band becoming very thin on rear margin of fin.
KEY TO SPECIES
la Two dark vertical curved bands: one from above eye
to end below P base where it almost joins the other
across P base upwards to below 2nd D spine ................... S. bursa
1 b No dark vertical curved bands .............................................. 2
2a C of adults uniformly dark (light yellow in juveniles);
males have a line from corner of mouth down and
back, with another round chin ................................. S. fraenatus
2b Dark with white upper and lower margins and
broad white distal band .................................... S. chrysopterus
263.15 Sufflamen bursa
(Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
PLATE 139
Boomerang triggerfish
Boemerang-snellervis
Batistes bursa Bloch & Schneider, 1801: 476 (Indian Ocean).
Hemibatistes bursa: Smith, SFSA No. 1163*. Sufflamen bursa: Matsuura,
1980: 48*; Smith, 1980: 186.
DIll + 27-30; A 25-27; P 13-14; LS 43-50; head scale rows 27-30.
Blue line from corner of mouth turns white (or disappears) on preservation. Attains 25 cm. Tropical Indo-West
Pacific, south to Sodwana Bay.
263.16 Sufflamen chrysopterus
(Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
PLATES 139 & 140
Halfmoon triggerfish
Halfmaan-snellervis
Batistes chrysoptera Bloch & Schneider, 1801: 466 (East Indies & Coramandel). Hemibatistes chrysoptera: Smith, SFSA No. 1164*. Sufflamen
chrysopterus: Matsuura, 1980: 49*.
D III+26-28; A 23-26; P 12-14; LS 41-47; head scale rows 23-28; scales
with small spines forming longitudinal lines from C peduncle to below
middle of soft D.
Attains 30 cm. Common in Indo-West Pacific, especially
about reefs, south to Durban.
263: BALISTIDAE (TRIGGERFISHES)
263.17 Sufflamen fraenatus
(Latrielle, 1804)
PLATE 139
Bridle triggerfish
Toom-snellervis
Batistes fraenatus Latrielle, 1804: 74 (no locality). Sufflamen capistratus: Smith, SFSA No. 1162*. Sufflamenfraenatus: Matsuura, 1980: 51 *;
Smith, 1980: 186; Tyler, 1980: 125*.
D III+27-31; A 24-28; P 14-15; LS 43-54; head scale rows 25-32. In
some specimens, the "enlarged" tubercles on the posterior body scales are
scarcely discernible.
In males the yellow band from corner of mouth obliquely
backwards and band under chin turn white on preservation;
females and juveniles have no bands running backwards
from corner of mouth and the uniformly coloured young are
common among weeds. Attains nearly 40 cm. Indo-West
Pacific south to Natal.
Genus Xanthichthys Kaup, 1858
Mouth supraterminal, lower jaw juts out; teeth uneven,
notched; no enlarged bony scales behind gill slit; 3rd D
spine minute, not visible above dorsal edge of body.
Revised by Randall et al. (1978); 5 species: 1 West Atlantic,
4 Indo-West Pacific, differentiated by colour patterns and
various morphological features; 1 species in our area.
263.18 Xanthichthys lineopunctatus
(Hollard,1854)
PLATE 137
Striped triggerfish
Gestreepte snellervis
Batistes tineopunctatus Hollard, 1854: 65 (Reunion). Xanthichthys
ringens (non Linnaeus): Smith, SFSA No. 1165*. Xanthichthys tineopunctatus: Randall et al., 1978: 695*; Matsuura, 1980: 60*; Tyler, 1980: 121 *;
128*.
DIll +28-30; A 25-27; P 13-14; LS 44-50; C 12; head scale rows 17-21.
As illustrated, only 3 brown lines on cheek. Attains 30
cm. Indo-West Pacific, south to Port Alfred, rare.
Genus Xenobalistes Matsuura, 1981
Characterised by outrigger effect below P caused by large
bony disc-shaped expansion of the coracoids. Mouth terminal; teeth notched. Two species, X. tumidipectoralis Matsuura, 1981 (partly digested in the stomach of a blue marlin
caught near Mariana Ids. in the Pacific) differs in P 13, LS
35 and other minor points.
263.19 Xenobalistes punctatus
Heemstra & Smith, 1983
Outrigger triggerfish
Vlerkprou-snellervis
Xenobatistes punctatus Heemstra & Smith, 1983: 1, Figs. 1-3 (thrown
ashore at Van Staaden's River mouth, west of Algoa Bay).
D III+27; A 25; P 14; LS 46; head scale rows 21; shallow groove before
eye below nostril about halfway to mouth; lips rugose; supraorbital ridges
881