Blue Throat Triggerfish: Male or Female

[SMS76]

I bought a small size "MALE" blue jaw triggerfish from the LFS 3-4 months ago. He was listed as Male but has very few lines of blue under his chin and none of the other fins (top/bottom/tails) were colored.

He pretty much looks like the one in this picture:

Only difference is he has 4-5 blue lines (not the whole area) under his mouth or in chin area. He is now 4-5" in size and started to grow some color in his tail but still both top and bottom fins doesn't have a typical color.

Question i have is, did i really buy "MALE" bluejaw as LFS advertised or it's female? Do you think they will grow more color as he will get older? I feed him flakes and home made frozen food with vitamins and all goodies. He also love to tear down and eat silversides.
This is a typical Male jaw picture:

What do you think?

 

[Triggerfish]

i think you have a female.....
as they will not have the blue chin nor yellow fin margins.
not as nice looking in anyway...

 

[SMS76]

i think you have a female.....
as they will not have the blue chin nor yellow fin margins.
not as nice looking in anyway...

That's what i am thinking too but he/she still have few blue lines which i am not sure if female have those but not sure.

 

[Kevin McG]

Female in the top picture I'd say and defitely a male in the bottom pic

 

[SMS76]

Do Bluejaw or other triggerfish change sex? Is it possible i bought male which is turning in to female??

 

[eSoteric]

Just got my first bluejaw myself. Awesome fish. As to your question i gotta go with the masses, thats a female. the male is the bluejaw ( your second picture)

I dont think they are asexual. I have seen them very small and even when they are that size you can still tell the male (bluejaw) at a young age.

 

[Chris L]

i would say female as well

 

[SMS76]

OK, so i guess i might be lucky as it's hard to find female Bluejaw. Should i pair it up? Do pair usually get along? If so i might get a male bluejaw. Any thoughts?

 

[Casino]

I really cant tell without an actual pic of the speciment but my blue trigger is a male and sometimes takes a while for the blue to color up after the lights come on. He will have like a 5 o'clock shadow for a while. Also if my Sohol is in one of his moods the trigger wont have blue at all until the Sohol calms down. Sometimes after he eats he will color up nicely, especially after eating mysis shrimp. The yellow outline is always visible no matter what tho.

 

[eSoteric]

I dont know that its hard to find a female. I have them in quite often. As for paring them up ive never even thought of it. As to what casion says above also happens to mine, however the males seems to show some yellow in the tail and top and bottom fins. That yelllow is always in mine. After he eats and comes out his natural colors do come out.

 

[JeremyR]

I've put males & females together several times.. never had an arguement.

 

[eSoteric]

wish my tank had the space. Id love to pair em, that would be great! But im full up =(

 

[SMS76]

So female has no organish/brownish color in her tail fins? Do all Juvenile starts out as female and do change from female to male? Is it possible that my female/Juvi bluejaw is turning in male?

 

[Chris L]

<-----this guy is only a juvi and has all his color so im not sure if that is something to wait for