Blacksaddle Toby

Canthigaster valentini

Four saddle spots, the middle one extending right down the side. Similar to and mistaken for the Blacksaddle or Mimic Filefish.

Size : 10 cm

Habitat : 1-55 m. Males have a territory with up to 7 females, each female lays eggs in an algae bush. These are protected from predators by a poison like that of the fish. Hatch after 3-5 days; 9-15 weeks as larvae.

Distribution : Red Sea, East Africa, Oman to SW Japan, Marshall Islands and French Polynesia.

Classification

KINGDOM

:

Animalia

PHYLUM

:

Chordata

CLASS

:

Actinopterygii

ORDER

:

Tetraodontiformes

FAMILY

:

Tetraodontidae

GENUS

:

Canthigaster

SPECIES

:

Canthigaster valentini

Other Information

Population Status

Least Concern (LC)

PHOTO COLLECTION

Reference

  1. inaturalist.org
  2. Reef Fishes of the Indo-Pacific. Book by Matthias Bergbauer and Manuela Kirschner