Pi10 Balistes (Triggerfishes)

 Pi10                              Balistes          (Triggerfishes)

 

Phylum            : Chordata

Class                : Teleostei

Order               : Tetraodontiformes

Family             : Balistidae

Genus              : Balistes

 

 Description:

 Body deep and moderately compressed; body, encased in very thick, tough skin with large scales easily seen as individual units; in many species, scales above pectoral-fin base are enlarged. Second dorsal and anal fins are similar in shape; most dorsal-, anal-, and pectoral-fin rays are branched; pelvic fins rudimentary, represented by a series of four pairs of enlarged scales encasing posterior end of pelvis. Triggerfish normally swim by undulating their second dorsal and anal fins, but will use their tail for rapid bursts. Most triggerfishes are solitary diurnal carnivores, feeding on a wide variety of invertebrates including hard-shelled mollusks and echinoderms; some also feed on algae or zooplankton. They lay demersal eggs in a nest which is aggressively guarded by the female, less often by the male. Popular and hardy in aquaria, but often aggressive.

 

 

IUCN Status: