Balistes punctatus, Bluespotted triggerfish : fisheries

Balistes punctatus Gmelin, 1789

Bluespotted triggerfish
Add your observation in Fish Watcher
Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Balistes punctatus   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
Upload your photos and videos
 Pictures | Google image
Image of Balistes punctatus (Bluespotted triggerfish)
Balistes punctatus
Picture by Wirtz, P.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Tetraodontiformes (Puffers and filefishes) > Balistidae (Triggerfishes)
Etymology: Balistes: Latin, balista, -ae = crossbowman. In Greek, ballo = to throw (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Gmelin.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; demersal; depth range 0 - 200 m (Ref. 7348), usually 0 - 50 m (Ref. 7348). Tropical; 32°N - 17°S, 26°W - 14°E

Distribution Territories | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Eastern Atlantic from Madeira to Angola; including the Canary Islands, and Cape Verde.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 60.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2683); common length : 25.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2683); max. published weight: 1.8 kg (Ref. ); max. published weight: 1.8 kg

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics


Body shape (shape guide): short and / or deep.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Found over sand and rock bottoms of coastal waters. Feeds on crabs and bivalves (Ref. 4727).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Matsuura, Keiichi | Collaborators

Harmelin-Vivien, M.L. and J.-C. Quéro, 1990. Balistidae. p. 1055-1060. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2. (Ref. 7348)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2 (Global))

  Vulnerable (VU) (A2bd); Date assessed: 16 June 2011

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items (preys)
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
Spawning
Spawning aggregations
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Distribution
Territories
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
BRUVS - Videos
Anatomy
Gill area
Brain
Otolith
Physiology
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Genetics
Genome
Genetics
Heterozygosity
Heritability
Genetic Diversity
Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
Outreach
Collaborators
Taxonomy
Common names
Synonyms
Morphology
Morphometrics
Pictures
References
References

Tools

Bio-Quiz | E-book | Field guide | Length-frequency wizard | Life-history tool | Point map | Catch-MSY |

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

Download XML

Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | National databases | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoobank | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index
(Ref. 82804) 		PD50 = 0.5312 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight a=0.03162 (0.02026 - 0.04937), b=2.86 (2.73 - 2.99), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level
(Ref. 69278) 		3.4   ±0.43 se; based on food items.
Generation time 4.0 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 1 growth studies.
Resilience
(Ref. 120179) 		Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability
(Ref. 59153) 		Moderate vulnerability (38 of 100). 🛈
Price category
(Ref. 80766) 		Medium.
Nutrients
(Ref. 124155) 		Calcium = 88.5 [39.2, 198.6] mg/100g; Iron = 1.06 [0.52, 2.54] mg/100g; Protein = 17.9 [16.4, 19.4] %; Omega3 = 0.223 [0.101, 0.499] g/100g; Selenium = 87 [43, 203] μg/100g; VitaminA = 9.17 [2.77, 31.60] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.852 [0.562, 1.294] mg/100g (wet weight);