Description:

Dorsal spines: 3; Dorsal rays: 23-25; Anal spines: 0; Anal rays: 20-22.
Body oblong and relatively full, robust and laterally compressed. A distinct groove before eye and below nostril. Small terminal mouth. Gill opening a short slit on side 
before pectoral base. Thick leathery, rough skin, with regularly arranged diagonal scale plates. Lateral line inconspicuous. Soft dorsal and anal fins long and curved, 
anterior rays elevated and much longer than posterior rays. Pelvic fins externally reduced to 4 pairs of large scales encasing end of pelvis. Caudal fin double concave, 
rounded in juveniles. 
Colour. Adult body and head dark, lighter below with elongated white spots that can disappear with growth. Juveniles dark with white spots. Fins dark. 

Maturity: Lm unknown. Range unknown. Max Length: 50cm TL. Commonly to 40cm TL.

Found in coastal and offshore waters (depth 1-110m) often associated with drifting objects such as Sargassum. Forms schools and inhabits steep outer reef slopes. Oviparous. 
Distinct pairing.

This species is not protected or subject to fishery regulations. It is caught extensively as bycatch in the industrial tuna fishery particularly correlated with FAD use. 
It is a fairly regular occurrence in low numbers in the artisanal fishery when tuna and tuna like species have been targeted.

Froese, R. & D. Pauly. Eds. (2019). FishBase. https://www.fishbase.se/summary/4278 (24/08/19).
Leis, J.L. et al. (2015). Canthidermis maculata (errata version published in 2017). The IUCN Red List 2015: e.T190444A115320919. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T190444A1952236.en. (24/08/19).
Smith, M & Heemstra, P Eds. (1999). Smiths’ Sea Fishes Edition 6. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 10.1007/978-3-642-82858-4
STRI (2015). Canthidermis maculata, Rough triggerfish, Spotted oceanic triggerfish. https://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/caribbean/en/thefishes/species/2398 (24/08/19).
 

Nevill, J.E.G. (2019). Canthidermis maculata, Rough triggerfish. Seychelles Seatizens. www.seatizens.sc. https://seatizens.sc/species/canthidermis-maculata-bloch-1786/ (edited 18/06/22).