Lei Triggerfish

Sufflamen bursa shares a similar body plan as other triggerfish species in the Balistidae family, which include a rectangular body, pectoral, anal, caudal, dorsal and pelvic fins; and a toothy snout that is more reminiscent of a beak. It grows to a size of 25 cm in length. S. bursa is generally pale, but it can change to a darker color, typically a shade of brown with hints of purple on the anal, ventral, and caudal fins. A single white strip runs down from its mouth to the base of its pectoral fin while two stripes, which are either brown or yellow depending on the mood of the fish, run down vertically. One stripe goes through the eye and the other behind the eye along the gills on either side.

Sufflamen bursa inhabits regions of a coral reef before a surge zone as to avoid the chaos and general dissonance within the water where waves crash. This species lives in warm shallow waters with sandy and reefy bottoms. In the presence of a predator, they hide in reef crevices and do this especially at night. They inhabit a variety of different reef systems across tropical and subtropical regions of the Pacific and Indo-Pacific.

They are usually solitary creatures, but it isn’t uncommon for them to travel in pairs. In rarer circumstances, they can be seen swimming in trios. They generally inhabit shallow and warm waters of the tropics and subtropics. When these fish aren’t feeding, they patrol and hover around the reef, especially near areas that greatly vary in depth and topography in order to have easy access to a hiding spot from predators.

Sufflamen bursa have proven to be edible as well. They have been described to have a sweet flavor somewhat similar to crab or grouper. Regardless if it is eaten raw or cooked and it’s generally discouraged to use seasoning because it’s already tasty. Like other foods, they’re generally used in bigger dishes as an ingredient such as sushi. Additionally, they are eaten grilled, raw, or seared.