Triggerfish

Triggerfish
Temporal range:
Queen triggerfish (Balistes vetula)
Lagoon triggerfish (Rhinecanthus aculeatus)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Division: Teleostei
Order: Tetraodontiformes
Suborder: Balistoidei
Family: Balistidae
A. Risso, 1810
Genera

See text

Triggerfish are one of 41 species of marine, ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Balistidae. Often brightly colored and marked by lines and spots, they inhabit tropical and subtropical oceans throughout the world, with the greatest species richness in the Indo-Pacific. Most are found in relatively shallow, coastal habitats, especially at coral reefs, but a few, such as the oceanic triggerfish (Canthidermis maculata), are pelagic, inhabiting the open ocean.

Fish of this family are sometimes eaten by humans. While several triggerfish species are popular in the marine aquarium trade, they are often notoriously ill-tempered.

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