Pinktail Drugon, Melichthys vidua

Pinktail Drugon, Melichthys vidua.  Fish caught from coastal waters off Kona, Hawaii, March 2021. Length: 18 cm (7.1 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Pinktail Drugon, Melichthys vidua, Orange Morph. Fish caught from coastal waters off Kona, Hawaii, March 2021. Length: 20 cm 7.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

The Pinktail Drugon, Melichthys vidua, is a member of the Triggerfish or Balistidae Family, that is also known as the Pinktail Triggerfish and in Mexico as cochito cola rosada. Globally, there are three members of the Melichthys Genus, two of which are found in Mexican waters, both in the Pacific Ocean.

The Pinktail Drugon has an elongated oval compressed robust body. They have a black to dark yellowish brown body and head. Their anal and dorsal fins are reddish white with a thin black border, their caudal fin has a white base and the outer two-thirds are pink; and, their pectoral fins are yellowish. The juveniles have dark lines radiating from the eye and dark lines and the anal and second dorsal fin. Their anal fin has 28 to 31 rays; their caudal fin is moderately to strongly concave; their first dorsal fin has 3 spines; their second dorsal fin has 31 to 35 rays; their pectoral fins have 14 to 16 rays; and, their pelvic fins are minute. They have a small mouth, that opens in the front above the center line, that is equipped with 8 outer teeth on both the upper and lower jaws and the gill slits are inserted just before the pectoral fin base. Their lateral line is inconspicuous.

The Pinktail Drugon are found in seaward reefs that have abundance of invertebrate live and within coral exposed to currents. They are found at depths up to 70 m (230 feet). They reach a maximum of 40 cm (16 inches) in length. They are found is small loose groups. Their diet consists of algae and detritus and limited amounts of crustaceans, fishes, octopus, and sponges. Reproduction is oviparous. The Pinktail Drugon 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 Pinktail Drugon has a very limited distribution in Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean being found only around the Revillagigedos Islands.

The Pinktail Triggerfish is most likely confused with the Black Durgon, Melichthys niger (black fins, blue line at the base of the anal and dorsal fins).

From a conservation perspective the Pinktail Drugon has not been formally evaluated. Within parts of their range they are utilized for human consumption being caught be herding into drive in nets. They are utilized at a modest level by the aquarium trade due to its coloration and passive behavior.