130 X 36 x 36 inbound...any suggestions?

[anbosu]

Originally Posted by humaguy

but this is coming in a couple days...

rarely seen by anyone, ever...

That's a new one for me, what is it?

[d-man]

Wow Ted ,pretty cool looking one

[dodgerblew]

Originally Posted by humaguy

but this is coming in a couple days...

rarely seen by anyone, ever...

Love the color contrasts on this fish Ted. Very unique

I think your CB is a very pretty CB and deserves a spot in my errr your tank

Those flames and bandits are so friggin cool!!!

[humaguy]

baby outrigger, Xanthichthys caeruleolineatus, 1.5 inches, 1 of 3 collected a couple days ago. really excited about this fish

[humaguy]

Here is Jake's article posted on another website a few hours ago.

First Look At The Huge Juveniles of Goldenback Triggerfish

The Goldenback Triggerfish is a beautiful species of marine fish which way too rarely seen. Par tof the reason for this species’ notable scarcity in the aquarium hobby is that this is one of the larger species of Xanthichthys. And when we do get to see one, a ‘small’ specimen might be on the order of 10 to 12 inches!

In recent years we’ve been able to piece together the life history of Xanthichthys caeruleolineatus and it turns out that this species doesn’t full metamorphose and turn into a ‘real’ fish until it’s a good three to four inches long. These freshly settled goldenback triggerfish are very rare, and very seasonal, but fish collecting powerhouse RVS Fishworld has just scored a motherlode of juvenile goldenbacks.

Their fishermen had to go all the way to the contentious Scarborough Shoals, well within the Philippines Exclusive Economic Zone but an area which China has been aggressive in trying to claim for themselves in recent years. Needless to say, the long trip was well worth the haul of rare juvenile goldenback triggerfish, pictured here at a size we’ve never before seen.

At this size the baby Goldenback triggers are by far the smallest ever pictured, not showing any of the unique color and pattern that makes X. caeruleolineatus so interesting. Since this species gets so large, these are the perfect size for acclimating to aquarium life but prospective buyers need to realize that their colors still won’t appear until the fish reach tank busting sizes.

[McPuff]

A very cool looking specimen... I've never seen a juvenile. So you bought it? Does it have a parasite on its dorsal fin? Obviously not a huge concern, but just something I noticed.

Are you planning for an even larger tank? I think it's about time to expand the habitat!!! :0)

[enjetek]

Puuuuurdy


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[humaguy]

[caribfan]

Originally Posted by humaguy

Don't know what it is, but it surely looks tiny and awesome.

Your getting to the point of acquiring your fish at the plankton stage. Love it.

[humaguy]

so, it might not be X. caeruleolineatus...
there is so little info on X trigs, especially at this size, and this doesn't match up with any of the holotypes, so lol, there could be good news, exciting news, and not so good news attached to this fish..


happy to see food

[humaguy]

[humaguy]

interesting day
look for joe fish's article on this fish monday

[JamesHolt]

Well humaguy I bought a rectangle trigger today, now I have the Picasso, rectangle, and niger.. I blame you...lol
Going to get several more after I move, triggers are a lot of fun to deal with..

[Eville]

Could it be Xanthichthys Greenei? I didn't catch where it was collected

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk

[humaguy]

Originally Posted by JamesHolt

Well humaguy I bought a rectangle trigger today, now I have the Picasso, rectangle, and niger.. I blame you...lol
Going to get several more after I move, triggers are a lot of fun to deal with..

lol, there is nothing like a trigger

[humaguy]

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.

[Greentree]

Originally Posted by humaguy

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.

Oh man - this is so exciting! Can't wait for updates!

Are you going to name her?



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[gibbus]

congrats ted

[humaguy]

Originally Posted by Greentree

Oh man - this is so exciting! Can't wait for updates!

Are you going to name her?



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

lol, she is being referred to as baby X.
that seems appropriate

[JamesHolt]

Humaguy here is the niger trigger,, video is a little dark, got the lights lowered for the grouper



I do know now that the Picasso and the rectangle do NOT like each other..
I have the rectangle and niger in one tank, Picasso in another

[Greentree]

Originally Posted by humaguy

lol, she is being referred to as baby X.

that seems appropriate

Haha - I love that!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[humaguy]

So, 3 of these were collected and 1 went to Asia. I can now say that Michael has the 3rd at NYA. It is going for $800, which is potentially a steal!

[humaguy]

Here is Joe's article...

Last week, a number of small and rather unusual triggerfishes were collected from the Philippines, but their exact identity has remained a bit unclear. They were obtained from an obscure oceanic atoll known as Scarborough Shoal and were found swimming amidst numerous large individuals of the Goldenback Triggerfish (Xanthichtys caeruleolineatus). For this reason, they were initially identified as that species, but the juveniles of this genus are very poorly known and, as we’ll soon see, there may good reason to question this determination.
To understand what I mean by this, we need to bring another seemingly unrelated triggerfish into the discussion, Xenobalistes. This enigmatic group is ostensibly comprised of just two tiny species, neither of which are collected with any regularity. For as long as we’ve known about them, their unusual morphology and diminutive dimensions made them one of the biggest mysteries in the balistid family, but, as I reported not long ago, it appears that the bizarre Xenobalistes is really nothing more than an early juvenile stage of Xanthichthys.
We know this from a combination of genetic study and aquarium observation. Taxonomist Phil Heemstra actually managed to successfully raise one species, Xenobalistes punctatus, from a tiny, inch-long juvenile into its adult form… the Goldenback Triggerfish (Xanthichthys caeruleolineatus). The change in morphology and patterning that happens throughout its development is truly remarkable. During its Xenobalistes-stage, the fish is darkly colored and adorned with a spattering of small white spots throughout its body, as well as possessing the idiosyncratic pectoral bulges which make the smallest juveniles so unique. At some point, the body lightens considerably and the spots disappear; however, when stressed, a similarly maculated patterning reappears, which can be seen in the video below.
The other species, Xenobalistes tumidipectoralis, has a very different patterning that is far closer to our specimens. This consists of a dense spattering of olive-hued markings set against a silvery background coloration (though, as aquarium observations of the Filipino specimens has now confirmed, this is actually a nocturnal or stress coloration, as the fish takes on a mostly silvery appearance while at rest).
Again, few specimens have ever been encountered, but, fortunately enough, we do have good genetic data for it. An entire mitochondrial genome was sequenced in 2008, and, using available data from the genus, we can confirm that it is actually identical to the Linespot Triggerfish (Xanthichthys lineopunctatus). If we compare our mystery fish to images of that species which have been documented at a comparable size, it seems at first glance that the diagnostic lines along the side of the body are absent, but, if we look closely at the specimen shown in the video above, we can actually make out a faint trace of this feature.
So, are these unusual juveniles X. lineopunctatus or X. caeruleolineatus (or perhaps even X. auromarginatus, the Bluethroat Triggerfish, whose juveniles remain poorly known)? We probably won’t know for sure until a specimen can be grown into adulthood. Thankfully, one of these has found its way into the hands of Ted Krupman—a well-known balistid connoisseur and all-around swell guy—and I’m sure we can expect regular updates on it as it progresses. For now, my best guess is that these are juveniles of the Linespot Triggerfish… unless they’re not.


other pics with article, will keep you updated...

[humaguy]

[humaguy]

growing and still a confusing fish, lol, I see more outrigger in these pics..



great to see the blue coming in. an overlooked fish, imho




love these


lol, and these


hybrid



hope yours are all well,

tk