Advertisement
Research Article| Volume 1, ISSUE 2, P79-85, May 1990

Download started.

Ok

Triggerfish bite – a little-known marine hazard

      This paper is only available as a PDF. To read, Please Download here.
      Injury to divers in tropical and subtropical waters from bites by triggerfishes have not been documented in the medical literature or in books and papers dealing with dangerous marine animals. Reports are given of five cases of divers sustaining bites from triggerfishes. The most dangerous of the triggerfishes are the tropical Indo-Pacific species Pseudobalistes fuscus and Balistotoides viridescens. Ordinarily these two fishes are very shy, but females guarding a nest can become extremely aggressive. Divers should not continue to swim toward a large triggerfish that does not move away upon their approach. Divers should also be warned not to feed triggerfishes by hand, as even small species are capable of inflicting bite wounds on the hands.

      Keywords

      References

        • Phillips C.
        • Brady W.H.
        Sea pests – poisonous and harmful sea life of Florida and West Indies.
        University of Miami Press, Coral Gables1953
        • Halstead B.W.
        Dangerous marine animals.
        Cornell Maritime Press, Cambridge1959
        • Neve P.
        Dangerous Red Sea fishes.
        Bull Mar Res Centre, Saudi Arabia. 1972; 1: 1-12
        • Edmonds C.
        Dangerous marine animals of the Indo-Pacific region.
        Australian Sports Publication, Melbourne1974
        • Helm T.
        Dangerous sea creatures: a complete guide to hazardous marine life.
        Funk and Wagnalls, New York1976
        • Banner A.H.
        Hazardous marine animals.
        in: Tedeschi C.G. Eckert W.G. Tedeschi L.G. Forensic medicine: a study in trauma and environmental hazards. W.B. Saunders Co, Philadelphia, London, Toronto1977: 1378-1436
        • Iversen E.S.
        • Skinner R.
        How to cope with dangerous sea life – a guide to animals that sting, bite or are poisonous to eat from the waters of the Western Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico.
        Windward Publishing, Inc, Miami1977
        • Greenberg I.
        • Greenberg J.
        Sharks and other dangerous sea creatures.
        Seahawk Press, Miami1981
        • Vine P.
        Red Sea safety – guide to dangerous marine animals.
        IMMEL Publishing, London1986
        • Mandojana R.M.
        Clinics in dermatology.
        Aquat Dermatol. 1987; 5: 1-173
        • Fricke H.W.
        Mating systems, maternal and biparental care in triggerfish (Balistidae).
        Z Tierpsychol. 1980; 53: 105-122
        • Randall J.E.
        Red Sea reef fishes.
        IMMEL Publishing, London1983