Orange-lined Triggerfish Art on Canvas in a Saffron/OrangeBijou Frame.

The orange-lined triggerfish has a dark brown to dark green body with orange lines that start behind the head and cover the rest of its body. Its body is stocky, oval in shape and compressed laterally. The head is large and about one third of the body length.  while its mouth is small, the teeth are strong.  It can be aggressive with other fish. It erects its first dorsal spine to intimidate opponents and predators.

The triggerfish are typically found in coral reefs ecosystems, coral lagoons, and external reef slopes within this area, as well off the coast of east Africa, the Red Sea, and Japan. They tend to stay around their burrows and dens within the reef.

The orange-lined triggerfish is a main and dominant predator of the burrowing urchin in East African marine parks. Before being protected, the population was overfished, which allowed the burrowing sea urchin population to grow rapidly. In these ecosystems, the burrowing sea urchin affects coral reef health.  The burrowing sea urchin has the ability to degrade coral reef ecosystems if they are not being controlled by predators, such as the orange-lined triggerfish. When compared to other predators of the burrowing sea urchin in the East African marine parks, the orange-lined triggerfish was found to consume more burrowing sea urchins than others.

If you are an Ichthyologist (Fish Biologist), we are open to your suggestions about how you would improve this description.