Smooth Trunkfish

The Smooth Trunkfish (Lactophrys triqueter) is one of the cutest fish we’ve seen on our expeditions. They have an unusual angular shape, a pattern of honeycomb and spots and they motor around using their pectoral fins.

Here’s a photo of the adult Smooth Trunkfish taken in Roatan, Honduras:

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We have also been lucky enough to see various juvenile stages of this beautiful fish. Here is a juvenile seen in Roatan, Honduras. It was probably about an inch long:

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Even smaller, is this juvenile we spotted while snorkeling in St. Martin. it was approximately half an inch long, perhaps even smaller and seemed to bob with the waves near the crevice that served as its home:

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The Smooth Trunkfish is similar to a few related species that may be seen in the same waters. Most similar is the Spotted Trunkfish, which is very similar, but has a white mouth and does not have the honeycomb pattern. This photo was taken in Roatan:

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The Honeycomb Cowfish is also similar, and shares the honeycomb pattern, but can be distinguished by the sharp spines above each eye. Here is a Honeycomb Cowfish relaxing inside a sponge in Roatan:

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