Balistoides is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Balistidae, the triggerfishes. The triggerfishes in this genus are found in the Indo-Pacific region.
| Balistoides | |
|---|---|
| |
| Balistoides conspicillum | |
| |
| Balistoides viridescens | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Tetraodontiformes |
| Family: | Balistidae |
| Genus: | Balistoides Fraser-Brunner, 1935 |
| Type species | |
| Balistes viridescens Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801
| |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Taxonomy
editBalistoides was first propsed as a genus in 1935 by the English ichthyologist Alec Fraser-Brunner with Balistes viridescens designated as its type species.[2] B. viridescens had originally been described in 1801 by the German naturalists Marcus Elieser Bloch and Johann Gottlob Schneider with its type locality not given but is Mauritius, as the descruption was based on Bernard Germain de Lacépède's Baliste verdatre.[3] A 2016 study found that Balistoides was non-monophyletic with B. conspiciillum being sister to Balistapus and B. viridescens being sister to Pseudobalistes. However, the 2016 study stated the results concerning the "close association" of Balistapus undulatus and Balistoides conspicillum, were only "moderately supported"[4] and it has not resulted in the classification of the triggerfishes being changed.[1] This genus is classified in the family Balistidae, which is classified in the suborder Balistoidei in the order Tetraodontiformes.[5]
Etymology
editBalistoides sufffixes -oides onto Balistes and means having the form of Balistes.[6]
Species
editBalistoides contains 3 currently recognised species:[3]
| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Balistoides conspicillum (Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801) | Clown triggerfish | tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian Ocean and in the western Pacific Ocean. |
 |
Balistoides viridescens (Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801) | Titan triggerfish | Indo-Pacific |
Characteristics
editBalistoides triggerfishes have a laterally compressed caudal peduncle. The scales above the base of the pectoral fin and the gillslit are very enlarged and form a flexinle tympanum. There is an obvious grrove on the snout in front of the eye. The teeth in the jaw are white and do not prominently project. Almost all of the cheek is covered on scales except for a very small fold at the corner of the mouth. The dirsal and ventral profiles if the head are concave, straight or slighly convex. The body is not plain black or very dark blue but is marked with different coloured blotches and lines.[7] The smallest of the two species in this genus is B. viridescens with a maximum total length of 75 cm (30 in) while the maximum published total length of B. conspicillum is 50 cm (20 in),[8]
Distribution and habitat
editBalistoides triggerfishes are found in the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans from the eastern coast of Africa east as far as the Tuamotus and Line Islands, south to northern Autralia and north to southern Japan.[9] The two species in this genus are associated with coral reefs, at depsth down to 75 m (246 ft).[7]
References
edit- ^ a b Paolo Parenti (2021). "Annotated Checklist of Fishes of the Family Balistidae" (PDF). International Journal of Zoological Investigations. 7 (2): 647–672. doi:10.33745/ijzi.2021.v07i02.049. ISSN 2454-3055.
- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Balistidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ a b Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Balistoides". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ McCord, Charlene L.; Westneat, Mark W. (January 2016). "Phylogenetic relationships and the evolution of BMP4 in triggerfishes and filefishes (Balistoidea)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 94 (Pt A): 397–409. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2015.09.014. PMID 26408967.
- ^ "Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes Classification". Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ Christopher Scharpf (21 August 2024). "Order TETRAODONTIFORMES: Families MOLIDAE, BALISTIDAE, MONACANTHIDAE, ARACANIDAE and OSTRACIIDAE". Christopher Scharpf. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ a b K. Matsuura (2001). "BALISTIDAE Triggerfishes". In Carpenter, K.E.; Niem, V.H. (eds.). FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 6. Bony fishes part 4 (Labridae to Latimeriidae), estuarine crocodiles, sea turtles, sea snakes and marine mammals (PDF). Rome: FAO. pp. 3911–3928.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Balistoides". FishBase. June 2024 version.
- ^ Matsuura, Keiichi (2014). "Taxonomy and systematics of tetraodontiform fishes: a review focusing primarily on progress in the period from 1980 to 2014" (PDF). Ichthyological Research. 62 (1): 72–113. Bibcode:2015IchtR..62...72M. doi:10.1007/s10228-014-0444-5. S2CID 15223867.