Rhinecanthus aculeatus looks designed by a modern artist. These are medium-sized triggers that live in shallow lagoon areas, where they are usually quite common. Like their larger cousins, they form nests in small hollows on the bottom and will defend them aggressively, trying even to chase away divers. Although the mouth on one of these triggers is small, they can bite. In my preteenage days, a friend and I caught a small one while wading on the reef at the end of Kwaj. While I went to find a bucket to bring it home to an aquarium, my friend sat in the shallow water with the fish in a mesh bag. A small wave washed the mesh bag against the boy's midsection and the irritated fish bit a round hole above my friend's belly button.
The thick dorsal spine is extended below. This helps wedge the fish into a hole with the spine erect and locked in place by a second, smaller spine (the "trigger").
Near the tail, the caudal peduncle is armed with rows of small black spines.
Created 21 May 2012
Updated 13 June 2013