Balistes

Balistes is a genus of triggerfish.

Grey triggerfish (Balistes capriscus)

Species

Four species are recognized in this genus:

• Balistes capriscus J. F. Gmelin, 1789 (Gray triggerfish)
• Balistes polylepis Steindachner, 1876 (Finescale triggerfish)
• Balistes punctatus J. F. Gmelin, 1789 (Bluespotted triggerfish)
• Balistes vetula Linnaeus, 1758 (queen triggerfish)

Fossil species

• †Balistes dubius Blainville, 1818 (Middle Miocene)
• †Balistes vegai Lopez, Carr & Lorenzo, 2019 (Miocene)

Species information

Grey triggerfish

The grey triggerfish is a species of triggerfish. It is a small fish, usually less than 2.3 kg (5.1 lb). The premaxilla and maxilla form a robust unit and this in turn is attached by a ligament to the vomer and ethmoid. The upper jaw, however, is not protrusible.

Finescale triggerfish

The finescale triggerfish is a kind of triggerfish that is found in the Pacific coast of the Americas from northern California southwards to central Chile, including the Galápagos Islands.

Balistes dubius

Bluespotted triggerfish

The bluespotted triggerfish is a species of triggerfish from the Eastern Atlantic.

Queen triggerfish

The queen triggerfish is a triggerfish found in the Atlantic Ocean. It is blue, purple, turquoise and green with a yellowish throat, and light blue lines on the fins and head.

Related pages

• Titan triggerfish
• Balistomorphus
• Heterolepidotus
• Onchopristis
• Amphiperca

References

1. L. F. de Beaufort (1926). "On a collection of marine fishes from the Miocene of South Celebes". In H. A. Brouwer (ed.), Geologische Onderzoekingen in den Oostelijken Oost-Indischen Archiepel 117-148.
2. "Balistes". WetWebMedia.
3. Matsuura, Keiichi (2014). "Taxonomy and systematics of tetraodontiform fishes: a review focusing primarily on progress in the period from 1980 to 2014". Ichthyological Research.
4. "Gray Triggerfish". NOAA Fisheries.
5. Viñola Lopez, Lazaro W.; Carr, Richard; Lorenzo, Logel (2020-10-20). "First occurrence of fossil Balistes (Tetradontiformes: Balistidae) from the Miocene of Cuba with the description of a new species and a revision of fossil Balistes". Historical Biology.

Balistes vegai

Other websites

• Media related to Balistes at Wikimedia Commons