Orangeside Triggerfish, Sufflamen verres

Orangeside Triggerfish, Sufflamen verres, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Point Palmilla, Baja California Sur, May 2016. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches). Note the atypical white spotting on the sides and the atypical strongly serrated first dorsal spine.

Orangeside Triggerfish, Sufflamen verres. Fish caught from coastal waters off Point Palmilla, Baja California Sur, May 2016. Length: 33 cm (13 inches).

Orangeside Triggerfish, Sufflamen verres. Fish caught from coastal waters off Loreto, Baja California Sur, May 2019. Length: 36 cm (14 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California.

Orangeside Triggerfish, Sufflamen verres.Fish caught from coastal waters off Loreto, Baja California Sur, May 2019. Length: 38 cm (15 inches); weight: 1.33 kg (2 lbs 15 oz) which has been submitted for a new world record. Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California.

Orangeside Triggerfish, Sufflamen verres. Underwater photograph taken in the greater Cabo San Lucas area, Baja California Sur, November 2017.

The Orangeside Triggerfish, Sufflamen verres, is a member of the Triggerfish or Balistidae Family, that is known in Mexico as cochito naranja and a wide variety of common names including “Taxi”. There are five global members of the genus Sufflamen, of which one is found in Mexican waters, this species, in the Pacific Ocean.

The Orangeside Triggerfish has a robust, compressed, and oblong body that has a depth that is 48 to 52% of standard length. They are dark brown upper half that transitions to a light brown yellowish-orange on the head and lower sides of the body. They have a thick oblique yellow bar that runs from the rear corner of their mouth across the lower part of their head to just short of their pectoral fin base. The juveniles have the same body shape as the adults but are brown dorsally and a lighter brown ventrally and without the facial oblique line and yellow coloration. Their head has a tapered profile with disproportionately small beady eyes, a small mouth that opens at the front, and powerful jaws with 8 heavy human-like teeth on the upper and lower jaws. Their anal fin has 27 to 30 rays; their caudal fin is straight; their first dorsal fin has 3 spines, the first of which can be locked erect and the second being one-half the size of the first; their second dorsal fin has 30 to 33 rays; their pectoral fins have 14 or 15 rays; and, their pelvic fins are minute. They have thick leathery skin and the majority of their body is covered with denticles. They are also known as the Filescale Triggerfish because their skin is similar to a rasp: when rubbed in one direction it feels quite rough and in the other quite smooth.

The Orangeside Triggerfish is found in and around rocky coral reefs and close to boulders adjacent to sand at depths up to 47 m (154 feet); this depth limit was established by a fish that I caught. They reach a maximum of 41 cm (16 inches) in length also established by a different fish I caught from coastal waters off Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Baja California Sur in July 2018. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 1.33 kg (2 lbs 15 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off Loreto, Baja California Sur, in May 2019 by my good friend Chris Wheaton that measured 38 cm (15 inches) in length. The Orangeside Triggerfish is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Orangeside Triggerfish is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean and is found from Cedros Island, Baja California, southward along the central and southwest coasts of Baja, in the southern two thirds of the Sea of Cortez, and along the coast of the mainland south to Guatemala. They are very common in the greater Los Cabos area.

The Orangeside Triggerfish is an easy fish to identify and cannot be confused with any other species.

From a conservation perspective the Orangeside Triggerfish is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are viewed by local fishermen as THE inshore pest of the greater Los Cabos area of Baja California Sur. They are abundant and can be caught easily in very shallow water with traditional bottom rigs and cut bait. On light tackle they can be an excellent foe. They can become a focus fish for charter pangueros to ensure that customers do not get skunked. They can also be caught off the beach with great regularity. They are viewed by locals as poor table fare and the vast majority are considered a “catch-and-release” for all but subsistence fishermen. They are sold on a limited basis in local markets in the greater Los Cabos area.