lol, she was caught with adult X. caeruleolineatus so it seemed logical she was one. (There is not a lot, or any in some cases, information on these fish and she doesn't really align with any of the holotypes that do exist of X. triggers.) After getting her, seeing her coloration, and talking with other folk, the thinking, to my total horror, was that she was a X. auromarginatus. This would/could, lol, be a nice discovery for fishdom, but most of you know how I feel about bt triggers. After watching my video, literally frame by frame, the conclusion is that she is X. lineopunctatus, maybe. This was my initial thinking when I saw the fish but I was still hoping it was an outrigger. Lol, I am still crossing my fingers that somehow it will be an outrigger. Anyway, time will def tell, will keep you posted.
Here is something on lineopunctatus from Jake, from Nov 2013
"Xanthichthys lineopunctatus is a triggerfish so rare that it doesn’t even have a real common name, but that hasn’t stopped LiveAquaria from scoring the first ever live specimen for the aquarium trade. LiveAquaria is going with the Fishbase common name of “Striped Triggerfish” but we prefer to go with teh literal latin translation and call this beautiful reef safe trigger the “line spot triggerfish”.
Xanthichthys triggerfish like crosshatches, goldenbacks, bluefaces and the Kiri triggerfish, feature prominently in the aquarium hobby due to their hardy nature, peaceful disposition and especially because they are relatively benign inhabitants of a reef aquarium environment. And while some of the Xanthichthys species are sought after because they are rare, none can match the singular nature of this first ever, historic offering from LiveAquaria.
If the expected $2500 price point seems like a lot for a triggerfish, consider that this species is way more rare than the rarest peppermint angelfish, than the rarest Claire fairy wrasse and in terms of singularity it absolutely every other species in the book. Heck, most books don;t even bother covering the line spot triggerfish since it is completely unknown to reefers and collectors. Just about the only time the line spot triggerfish is seen alive, briefly, is when it is fished up from the depths by fishermen but these quickly perish due to decompression complications.
Despite all these hurdles, LiveAquaria succeeded in sourcing the first live Xanthichthys lineopunctatus from the Indian Ocean. Better yet, whereas the rarest species are hardly ever seen alive at sizes less than a jumbo eight to ten inches (20-25cm), this line spot triggerfish is a perfect aquarium size at just a hair under five inches long (13cm). Surely this species will appear again in the aquarium trade but who knows if it’ll be a year from now, or a decade. Either way, some of the most diehard rare fish collectors are likely to have an itchy trigger finger when it goes live on the Diver’s Den today."
Also Jake, , from a couple of months ago, Nov 2016.
"The linespot triggerfish, Xanthichthys lineopunctatus is a species of marine fish so rare, that we’d never seen one, until last week. While visiting Reefwise on the outskirts of Chicago, we finally got to see this nigh-mythical triggerfish in person for the first time.
Up until a few years ago when LiveAquaria offered the first linespot triggerfish for sale to the aquarium hobby, the only pictures we had of Xanthichthys lineopunctatus were of dead and preserved specimens. Thankfully all that changed with an intense photographic session we had at Reefwise and their gorgeous linespot triggerfish.
Not only did they have one of these fish in stock and looking great, they actually have a pair, so we could also compare the live coloration of both the male and females of this killer triggerfish. The general appearance of the linespot triggerfish is a familiar motif for the genus, with the male sporting a maroon colored tail, a series of lines and spots on the body, and some blue streaks across the jaw, while the female is just overall muted by comparison.
Perhaps the reason for this species scarcity is that it is predominantly documented from the Indian Ocean with fewer reports from Southeast Asia. This particular pair was sourced from the Maldives, and other recent sightings have been from Mauritius.
The reason for the excitement is that Xanthichthys triggerfish are open water fishes, and therefore non-destructive in a reef aquarium environment. This reef-safe and low-aggression qualities of Xanthichthys triggerfish makes them ideal fish for the home aquarium, and it doesn’t hurt that these are very hardy fish too.
Blue throats, crosshatch, goldenbacks, greene and to lesser degree the sargassum triggerfish are celebrated aquarium fish, and hopefully this isn’t the last we’ll see of the linespot triggerfish as well.
