Balistes: Genus of triggerfish

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)

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.

 

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.

• Titan triggerfish
• Balistomorphus
• Heterolepidotus
• Onchopristis
• Amphiperca

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.

 

• Media related to Balistes at Wiki Commons