Pseudobalistes fuscus

Pseudobalistes fuscus
Pseudobalistes fuscus
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Tetraodontiformes
Family:	Balistidae
Genus:	Pseudobalistes
Species:	P. fuscus
Binomial name
Pseudobalistes fuscus (Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801)
Synonyms
Balistes caerulescens, Rüppell, 1829 Balistes fuscus, Bloch & Schneider, 1801 Balistes rivulatus, Rüppell, 1837

Pseudobalistes fuscus (common names: blue triggerfish, rippled triggerfish, yellow-spotted triggerfish and blue-and-gold triggerfish) is a fish belonging to the family Balistidae.

Description

Juvenile

Pseudobalistes fuscus can reach a length of 55 centimetres (22 inches) in males. The body is mainly brown, but fins have yellow margins. Juveniles are yellowish brown with a network of brilliant bluish wavy lines. With growth these lines become interconnected.

This fish is known for its aggressiveness and many divers choose to stay away from them, as they bite often.

Distribution

This species is widespread in the Tropical Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea to South Africa, Society Islands, southern Japan, Australia and New Caledonia.

Habitat

Pseudobalistes fuscus is a reef-associated species. It prefers coastal waters, shallow lagoons and seaward reefs, at 30–50 metres (98–164 ft) of depth.

Diet

This triggerfish, like most other triggerfish, eats shellfish, small crustaceans, and other bottom-dwelling invertebrae.

• 
  Juvenile
• 
  With scale bar, in New Caledonia
• 
  Red Sea
• 
  In Madagascar

References

• "Pseudobalistes fuscus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 24 January 2006.

External links

• Photos of Pseudobalistes fuscus in the Sealife Collection