Balistes vetula

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular names
English : Queen triggerfish
French : Baliste royal

Classification
Class : Teleostei
Order : Tetraodontiformes
Family : Balistidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can reach a maximum length of 60 cm for a weight of 5.4 kg. Deep oval-shaped body. Yellow-green coloration with blue edges on fins and large blue lines on cheeks. Fine black lines around eyes, blue-grey back. Unmistakable.

Range and habitat
Western Atlantic from south Canada to Gulf of Mexico and south to Brazil. Eastern Atlantic from Cape Verde and Azores to Angola. Lives in rocky and coral areas mostly, down to 275 m deep.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : NEAR THREATENED
CITES : Not Listed
Status : Although the species was recently downlisted, it is still heavily caught by fisheries especially in the eastern Atlantic. Close to qualify as Vulnerable.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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