Balistes capriscus Gmelin, 1789

Grey triggerfish

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Tetraodontiformes \| Balistidae
Synonyms	Balistes buniva, Balistes caprinus, Balistes carolinensis, ... more
Common names	... more

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AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF OBIS

Main reference

Smith-Vaniz, W.F., B.B. Collette and B.E. Luckhurst. 1999. (Ref. 35505)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator : Matsuura, Keiichi | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 60.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7348); common length : 44.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 47377); max. published weight: 6,150 g (Ref. 40637)

Length at first maturity

L_m 17.13, range 13 -

Environment

Reef-associated; marine; depth range 0 - 100 m (Ref. 7348), usually 0 - 55 m (Ref. 55172)

Climate / Range

Subtropical; 58°N - 37°S, 98°W - 36°E

Eastern Atlantic: Mediterranean to Moçamedes, Angola. Western Atlantic: Nova Scotia (Canada), Bermuda, and northern Gulf of Mexico to Argentina (Ref. 7251).
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 3; Dorsal soft rays (total): 26 - 29; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 23 - 26. Tall, with a small mouth and plate like scales (Ref. 35388). Three faint irregular broad dark bars on body; a narrow pale transverse band on chin; small light blue spots on upper half of body and median fins, and irregular short lines ventrally (Ref. 13442).

Inhabits bays, harbors, lagoons, and seaward reefs (Ref. 9710). May drift with young at surface among Sargassum (Ref. 9710). Usually solitary or in small groups (Ref. 9710). Feeds on benthic invertebrates like mollusks and crustaceans (Ref. 4727). Oviparous (Ref. 205). Consumed mostly fresh, smoked, and dried salted. The flesh is of excellent quality. Because it is resistant to capture, it proliferates and competes for food with other species (Ref. 5377).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Not Evaluated	Reports of ciguatera poisoning (Ref. 30911)

Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: public aquariums


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment Abundance	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

Tools
Biogeographic modelling \| Bio-Quiz \| E-book \| Field guide \| Identification keys \| Length-frequency wizard \| Life-history tool \| Point map

Special reports
Check for Aquarium maintenance \| Check for Species Fact Sheets \| Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page \| Point data \| Common names \| Photos

Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)

PD₅₀ = 0.5078

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.38-0.43; tm=1)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
Low to moderate vulnerability (32 of 100)	High

Entered by Agustin, Liza Q.

Modified by Luna, Susan M.

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