Black triggerfish

The black triggerfish, Melichthys niger, called Humuhumu’ele’ele in Hawaiian, is a blimp-shaped triggerfish with bright white lines running along its dorsal and anal fins. When in the water, it appears to be completely black. However, if it is taken out and exposed to bright light, one can see that it is actually of a dark-blue/green coloration.

It can be found in the Circumtropical range from Hawaii, up through Polynesia, westward to the East Indies and across the Indian Ocean. The Black triggerfish is also located around the southern coast of Africa. It swims in open waters, shallows and exposed reefs from 16-115 ft (5-35 m).

On average, the Black triggerfish measures 12 in, although it can grow to be up to 14 in. The fish is omnivorous; it feeds upon small fish, squid, shrimp, zooplankton, algae, and other marine plant life.