Editing Triggerfish

{{Short description|Family of ray-finned fishes}}
{{For|the surveillance technology|Triggerfish (surveillance)}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = {{Fossil range|Bartonian|present|[[Middle Eocene]] to present<ref name=":1" />}}
| image = Picasso.triggerfish.arp.jpg
| image_caption = [[Lagoon triggerfish]]
| taxon = Balistidae
| authority = [[Antoine Risso|A. Risso]], 1810
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision_ref = <ref name=Matsuura2014>{{cite journal | last1 = Matsuura | first1 = Keiichi | year = 2014 | title = Taxonomy and systematics of tetraodontiform fishes: a review focusing primarily on progress in the period from 1980 to 2014 | url = https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs10228-014-0444-5.pdf | journal = Ichthyological Research | volume = 62 | issue = 1| pages = 72–113 | doi=10.1007/s10228-014-0444-5| s2cid = 15223867 | doi-access = free | bibcode = 2015IchtR..62...72M }}</ref>
| subdivision = See text
}}

'''Triggerfish''' are about 40 species of often brightly colored [[Marine life|marine]] [[Actinopterygii|ray-finned fishes]] belonging to the [[family (biology)|family]] '''Balistidae'''. Often marked by lines and spots, they inhabit [[Tropics|tropical]] and [[Subtropics|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 reef]]s, but a few, such as the [[oceanic triggerfish]] (''Canthidermis maculata''), are [[pelagic]]. While several species from this family are popular in the marine [[aquarium]] trade, they are often notoriously ill-tempered.<ref name="Lieske">{{Cite book|title=Coral Reef Fishes: Caribbean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean including the Red Sea|last1=Lieske|first1=Ewald|last2=Myers|first2=Robert|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=1999|isbn=0-691-00481-1|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780691004815}}</ref><ref name="McDavid">{{Cite magazine|last=McDavid|first=Jim|date=July 2007|title=Aquarium Fish: Triggerfish|url=https://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/7/fish|magazine=Advanced Aquarist|volume=VI|issue=VII|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606115651/https://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/7/fish|archive-date=6 June 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Taxonomy==
The triggerfish family, Balistidae, was first proposed in 1810 by the French [[polymath]] [[Constantine Samuel Rafinesque]].<ref name = VDLEF>{{cite journal | author1 = Richard van der Laan | author2 = William N. Eschmeyer | author3 = Ronald Fricke | name-list-style = amp |year=2014 | title = Family-group names of recent fishes | url = https://mapress.com/zt/article/download/zootaxa.3882.1.1/33563 | journal = Zootaxa | volume = 3882 | issue = 2 | pages = 1–230| doi = 10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1 | pmid = 25543675 | doi-access = free }}</ref> The closest relatives to the triggerfishes are the [[filefish]]es belonging to the family [[Monacanthidae]] and these two families are sometimes classified together in the [[suborder]] [[Balistoidei]], for example in the 5th edition of ''[[Fishes of the World]]''.<ref name = Nelson5>{{cite book |author1=Nelson, J.S. |author1-link=Joseph S. Nelson |author2=Grande, T.C. |author3=Wilson, M.V.H. |year=2016 |title=Fishes of the World |edition=5th |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] |place=Hoboken, NJ |pages=518–526 |isbn=978-1-118-34233-6 |lccn=2015037522 |oclc=951899884 |ol=25909650M |doi=10.1002/9781119174844}}</ref> Other authorities, however, also include the families [[Aracanidae]] and [[Ostraciidae]] within the suborder Balistoidei.<ref name = ECoF>{{cite web |url=https://www.calacademy.org/scientists/catalog-of-fishes-classification/ |title=Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes Classification |access-date=16 October 2024 |work=Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes |publisher=[[California Academy of Sciences]]}}</ref>

==Etymology==
Triggerfish have both a common name and a scientific name that refers to the first spine of the dorsal fin being locked in place by the erection of the shorter second trigger spine, and unlocked by depressing the second spine. In the scientific name of the [[type genus]] ''Balistes'' this is taken directly from the Italian ''pesca ballista'', the "crossbow fish", [[ballista]] originally being a machine for throwing arrows.<ref name = ETYFFish>{{cite web |url=https://etyfish.org/tetraodontiformes2/ |title=Order TETRAODONTIFORMES: Families MOLIDAE, BALISTIDAE, MONACANTHIDAE, ARACANIDAE and OSTRACIIDAE |date=21 August 2024 |access-date=16 October 2024 |author=Christopher Scharpf |publisher=Christopher Scharpf}}</ref>

==Anatomy and appearance==
The largest member of the family, the [[stone triggerfish]] (''Pseudobalistes naufragium''), reaches {{convert|1|m|ft|abbr=on}},<ref>{{FishBase|genus=Pseudobalistes|species=naufragium|year=2015|month=February}}</ref> but most species have a maximum length between {{convert|20|and(-)|50|cm|in|abbr=on|0}}.<ref name=Lieske/> Triggerfish appear to have grown to even larger sizes in the geologic past, with the extinct [[fossil]] species ''[[Balistes crassidens]]'' and ''[[Balistes vegai]]'', both from the [[Miocene]] of the [[Caribbean]], potentially reaching up to {{Convert|1.8|m|ft}}, making them the largest triggerfishes known to have ever existed.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Viñola Lopez |first1=Lazaro W. |last2=Carr |first2=Richard |last3=Lorenzo |first3=Logel |date=2020-10-20 |title=First occurrence of fossil Balistes (Tetradontiformes: Balistidae) from the Miocene of Cuba with the description of a new species and a revision of fossil Balistes |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2019.1580278 |journal=Historical Biology |volume=32 |issue=9 |pages=1290–1299 |bibcode=2020HBio...32.1290V |doi=10.1080/08912963.2019.1580278 |issn=0891-2963|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Triggerfish have an oval-shaped, highly compressed body. The head is large, terminating in a small but strong-jawed mouth with teeth adapted for crushing shells. The eyes are small, set far back from the mouth, at the top of the head. The [[anterior]] [[dorsal fin]] is reduced to a set of three spines. The first spine is stout and by far the longest. All three are normally retracted into a groove. Characteristic of the order [[Tetraodontiformes]], the anal and [[Posterior (anatomy)|posterior]] dorsal fins are capable of undulating from side to side to provide slow movement and comprise their primary mode of [[propulsion]]. The sickle-shaped [[caudal fin]] is used only to escape predators.

The two [[pelvic fin]]s are overlaid by skin for most of their length and fused to form a single [[Spine (zoology)|spine]], terminated by very short rays, their only external evidence. Gill plates ([[Operculum (fish)|opercula]]), although present, are also not visible, overlaid by the tough skin, covered with rough, rhomboid [[Scale (zoology)|scales]] that form a stout armor on their bodies. The only gill opening is a vertical slit, directly above the [[Pectoral fin|pectoral]] fins. This peculiar covering of the gill plates is shared with other members of the Tetradontae. Each jaw contains a row of four teeth on either side, while the upper jaw contains an additional set of six plate-like [[pharyngeal teeth]].

As a protection against [[Predation|predators]], triggerfish can erect the first two dorsal spines: the first (anterior) spine is locked in place by erection of the short second spine, and can be unlocked only by depressing the second, "trigger" spine, hence the family name "triggerfish".

With the exception of a few species from the genus ''[[Xanthichthys]]'', the sexes of all species in this family are similar in appearance.

==Genera and species==
{| class="wikitable collapsible"
!Image
!Genus
!Living species
|-
|[[File:Abalistes stellatus2.jpg|175px]] ||''[[Abalistes]]'' {{small|[[David Starr Jordan|D. S. Jordan]] & [[Alvin Seale|Seale]], 1906}} ||
* ''[[Abalistes filamentosus]]'' <small>[[Keiichi Matsuura|Matsuura]] & [[Tetsuo Yoshino|Yoshino]], 2004</small> 
* ''[[Abalistes stellatus]]'' <small>Anonymous, referred to [[Bernard Germain de Lacépède|Lacépède]], 1798</small>
|-
|[[File:Balistapus undulatus.jpg|175px]] ||''[[Balistapus]]'' {{small|[[Wilhelm Gottlieb Tilesius von Tilenau|Tilesius]], 1820}} ||
*''[[Balistapus undulatus]]'' <small>[[Mungo Park (explorer)|M. Park]], 1797 </small>
|-
|[[File:Balistes vetula (queen triggerfish) (San Salvador Island, Bahamas) 4 (16151145845).jpg|175x175px]]||''[[Balistes]]'' {{small|[[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758}} ||
* ''[[Balistes capriscus]]'' <small>[[Johann Friedrich Gmelin|J. F. Gmelin]], 1789</small>
* ''[[Balistes polylepis]]'' <small>[[Franz Steindachner|Steindachner]], 1876</small> 
* ''[[Balistes punctatus]]'' <small>J. F. Gmelin, 1789</small> 
* ''[[Balistes vetula]]'' <small>Linnaeus, [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]</small> 
|-
|[[File:Balistoides conspicillum 01.jpg|175px]] ||''[[Balistoides]]'' {{small|[[Alec Fraser-Brunner|Fraser-Brunner]], 1935}} ||
* ''[[Balistoides conspicillum]]'' <small>(Bloch & Schneider, 1801)</small> 
* ''[[Balistoides viridescens]]'' <small>(Bloch & Schneider, 1801)</small> 
|-
|[[File:Canthidermis sufflamen (ocean triggerfish) (San Salvador Island, Bahamas) 1 (15965263309).jpg|175px]] ||''[[Canthidermis]]'' {{small|[[William Swainson|Swainson]], 1839}} ||
* ''[[Canthidermis macrolepis]]'' <small>[[George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger]], 1888</small>
* ''[[Canthidermis maculata]]'' <small>Bloch, 1786</small>
* ''[[Canthidermis rotundatus]]'' <small>([[Pierre-Martin Marion de Procé|Marion de Procé]], 1822)</small>
* ''[[Canthidermis sufflamen]]'' <small>[[Samuel Latham Mitchill|Mitchill]], 1815</small>
* ''[[Canthidermis willughbeii]]'' <small>([[George Tradescant Lay|Lay]] & [[Edward Turner Bennett|Bennett]], 1839)</small>
|-
|[[File:Pinktail Triggerfish, dark phase - Melichthys vidua.jpg|175px]] ||''[[Melichthys]]'' {{small|Swainson, 1839}} ||
* ''[[Melichthys indicus]]'' <small>[[John Ernest Randall|J. E. Randall]] & [[Wolfgang Klausewitz|Klausewitz]], 1973</small> 
* ''[[Melichthys niger]]'' <small>Bloch, 1786</small> 
* ''[[Melichthys vidua]]'' <small>[[John Richardson (naturalist)|J. Richardson]], 1845</small> 
|-
|[[File:Blue Tooth Triggerfish, Bunaken Island.jpg|175px]] ||''[[Odonus]]'' {{small|Gistel, 1848}} ||
*''[[Odonus niger]]'' <small>[[Eduard Rüppell|Rüppell]], 1836 </small>
|-
|[[File:Yellow-margin triggerfish at Palmyra Atoll NWR (5123999534).jpg|175px]]||''[[Pseudobalistes]]'' {{small|[[Pieter Bleeker|Bleeker]], 1865}} ||
* ''[[Pseudobalistes flavomarginatus]]'' <small>Rüppell, 1829</small>
* ''[[Pseudobalistes fuscus]]'' <small>(Bloch & Schneider, 1801)</small>
* ''[[Pseudobalistes naufragium]]'' <small>D. S. Jordan & [[Edwin Chapin Starks|Starks]], 1895</small>
|-
|[[File:Picasso.triggerfish.arp.jpg|175px]] ||''[[Rhinecanthus]]'' {{small|Swainson, 1839}} ||
* ''[[Rhinecanthus abyssus]]'' <small>[[Keiichi Matsuura|Matsuura]] & [[Yoshihisa Shiobara|Shiobara]], 1989</small> 
* ''[[Rhinecanthus aculeatus]]'' <small>Linnaeus, [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]</small> 
* ''[[Rhinecanthus assasi]]'' <small>[[Peter Forsskål|Forsskål]], 1775</small> 
* ''[[Rhinecanthus cinereus]]'' <small>[[Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre|Bonnaterre]], 1788</small> 
* ''[[Rhinecanthus lunula]]'' <small>J. E. Randall & [[Roger C. Steene|Steene]], 1983</small> 
* ''[[reef triggerfish|Rhinecanthus rectangulus]]'' <small>Bloch & Schneider, 1801</small> 
* ''[[Rhinecanthus verrucosus]]'' <small>Linnaeus, [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]</small> 

|-
|[[File:Scythe triggerfish (Sufflamen bursa) (47058283462).jpg|175px]]||''[[Sufflamen]]'' {{small|D. S. Jordan, 1916}} ||
* ''[[Sufflamen albicaudatum]]'' <small>Rüppell, 1829</small> 
* ''[[Sufflamen bursa]]'' <small>Bloch & Schneider, 1801</small> 
* ''[[Sufflamen chrysopterum]]'' <small>Bloch & Schneider, 1801</small>
* ''[[Sufflamen fraenatum]]'' <small>[[Pierre André Latreille|Latreille]], 1804</small>
* ''[[Sufflamen verres]]'' <small>[[Charles Henry Gilbert|C. H. Gilbert]] & Starks, 1904</small>
|-
|[[File:Gilded Triggerfish, male - Xanthichthys auromarginatus.jpg|175px]] ||''[[Xanthichthys]]'' {{small|Kaup, 1856}} ||
* ''[[Xanthichthys auromarginatus]]'' <small>Bennett, 1832</small> 
* ''[[Xanthichthys caeruleolineatus]]'' <small>J. E. Randall, Matsuura & [[Akira Zama|Zama]], 1978</small> 
* ''[[Xanthichthys greenei]]'' <small>[[Richard Lawrence Pyle|Pyle]] & [[John L. Earle|Earle]], 2013</small>
* ''[[Xanthichthys lima]]'' <small>(Bennett, 1832)</small>
* ''[[Xanthichthys lineopunctatus]]'' <small>[[Henri Louis Gabriel Marc Hollard|Hollard]], 1854</small>
* ''[[Xanthichthys mento]]'' <small>D. S. Jordan & C. H. Gilbert, 1882</small> 
* ''[[Xanthichthys ringens]]'' <small>Linnaeus, 1758</small> 
|-
| ||''[[Xenobalistes]]'' {{small|Matsuura, 1981}} ||
* ''[[Xenobalistes tumidipectoris]]'' <small>Matsuura, 1981</small> 
|-
|}
[[File:Oligobalistes robustus.jpg|thumb|Life restoration of the extinct ''[[Oligobalistes]]'']]
The following fossil genera are also known:

* †''[[Balistomorphus]]'' <small>[[Theodore Gill|Gill]], 1888</small> - [[Early Oligocene]] of Switzerland<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Bannikov |first1=A. F. |last2=Tyler |first2=J. C. |date=2008-10-01 |title=A new genus and species of triggerfish from the Middle Eocene of the Northern Caucasus, the earliest member of the Balistidae (Tetraodontiformes) |url=https://doi.org/10.1134/S0031030108060075 |journal=Paleontological Journal |language=en |volume=42 |issue=6 |pages=615–620 |bibcode=2008PalJ...42..615B |doi=10.1134/S0031030108060075 |issn=1555-6174|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
* †''[[Gornylistes]]'' <small>Bannikov & Tyler, 2008</small> - Middle [[Eocene]] ([[Bartonian]]) of the [[North Caucasus]], Russia<ref name=":1" />
* †''[[Oligobalistes]]'' <small>Daniltshenko, 1960</small> - Early Oligocene of the North Caucasus, Russia<ref>{{Cite journal |last=SANTINI |first=FRANCESCO |last2=TYLER |first2=JAMES C. |date=2003-12-01 |title=A phylogeny of the families of fossil and extant tetraodontiform fishes (Acanthomorpha, Tetraodontiformes), Upper Cretaceous to Recent |url=https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article-abstract/139/4/565/2624208 |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=139 |issue=4 |pages=565–617 |doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.2003.00088.x |issn=0024-4082|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==Behavior==
The anatomy of the triggerfish reflects its typical diet of slow-moving, bottom-dwelling [[crustacea]]ns, [[mollusk]]s, [[sea urchins]] and other [[echinoderm]]s, generally creatures with protective shells and spines. Many will also take small fishes and some, notably the members of the genus ''[[Melichthys]]'', feed on [[algae]].<ref name=Lieske/> A few, for example the [[redtoothed triggerfish]] (''Odonus niger''), mainly feed on [[plankton]].<ref name=Lieske/> They are known to exhibit a high level of [[Fish intelligence|intelligence for a fish]], and have the ability to learn from previous experiences.<ref name=McDavid/><ref name="Debelius">{{Cite book|title=Indian Ocean Tropical Fish Guide|last=Debelius|first=Helmut|publisher=Aquaprint Verlags GmbH|year=1993|isbn=3-927991-01-5}}</ref>

Some triggerfish species can be quite aggressive when guarding their eggs. Both the [[Lagoon triggerfish|Picasso]] (''Rhinecanthus aculeatus'') and [[titan triggerfish]] (''Balistoides viridescens'') viciously defend their nests against intruders, including scuba divers and snorkelers. Their territory extends in a cone from the nest toward the surface, so swimming upwards can put a diver further into the fishes' territory; a horizontal swim away from the nest site is best when confronted by an angry triggerfish. Unlike the relatively small Picasso triggerfish, the titan triggerfish poses a serious threat to inattentive divers due to its large size and powerful teeth.<ref name="Millington">{{cite journal|last1=Randall|first1=J.E.|author-link=John Ernest Randall|last2=Millington|first2=J.T.|year=1990|title=Triggerfish bite – a little-known Marine hazard|journal=Journal of Wilderness Medicine|volume=1|issue=2|pages=79–85|doi=10.1580/0953-9859-1.2.79}}</ref>

===Male territoriality===

Triggerfish males migrate to their traditional spawning sites prior to mating and establish territories. Some male species (i.e.'' [[Balistes carolinensis]]'' and ''[[Pseudobalistes flavimarginatus]]'') build hollow nests within their territories.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Lobel|first1=Philip S.|last2=Johannes|first2=Robert E.|date=September 1980|title=Nesting, egg and larvae of triggerfish (Balistidae).|journal=[[Environmental Biology of Fishes]]|volume=5|issue=3|pages=251–252|doi=10.1007/bf00005359|bibcode=1980EnvBF...5..251L |s2cid=3213367}}</ref> Triggerfish males are fierce in guarding their territories as having a territory is essential for reproduction. A male's territory is used for spawning and parental care. Most male territories are located over a sandy sea bottom or on a rocky reef. A single territory usually includes more than one female, and the male mates with all of the females residing in or visiting his territory ([[Polygyny in animals|polygyny]]). In Hachijojima, [[Izu Islands]], Japan, one male crosshatch triggerfish (''[[Xanthichthys mento]]'') has up to three females in his territory at the same time, and mates with them in pairs. Each male red-toothed triggerfish (''[[Odonus niger]]'') mates with more than 10 females in his territory on the same day.<ref name=":6">{{cite journal|last=Kawase|first=Hiroshi|date=March 2003|title=Spawning behavior and biparental egg care of the crosshatch triggerfish, ''Xanthichthys mento'' (Balistidae).|journal=[[Environmental Biology of Fishes]]|volume=66|issue=3|pages=211–219|doi=10.1023/a:1023978722744|bibcode=2003EnvBF..66..211K |s2cid=35997227}}</ref> Yellow margin triggerfish (''[[Pseudobalistes flavimarginatus]]'') also exhibit polygyny.

===Spawning and biparental care===
Triggerfish spawning is timed in relation to lunar cycles, tides, and time of changeover of tides. In relation to lunar cycles, eggs are observed 2–6 days before the full moon and 3–5 days before the new moon. In relation to tides, spawning happens 1–5 days before the spring tide. In relation to timing of tides, eggs are observed on days when high tides take place around sunset.<ref name=":7">{{cite journal|last=Gladstone|first=William|date=March 1994|title=Lek-like spawning, parental care and mating periodicity of the triggerfish ''Pseudobalistes flavimarginatus'' (Balistidae).|journal=[[Environmental Biology of Fishes]]|volume=39|issue=3|pages=249–257|doi=10.1007/bf00005127|bibcode=1994EnvBF..39..249G |s2cid=36747250}}</ref>

[[File:Titan Triggerfish.jpg|thumb|360px| The [[titan triggerfish]] can move relatively large rocks when feeding and is often followed by smaller fish, in this case [[orange-lined triggerfish]] and [[moorish idol]], that feed on leftovers.]]

Male and female triggerfish perform certain prespawning behaviors: blowing and touching.<ref name=":6" /> A male and female blow water on the sandy bottom (usually in the same spot at the same time) and set up their egg site. They touch their abdomens on the bottom as if they are spawning. During actual spawning, eggs are laid on the sandy sea bottom (triggerfish are [[Demersal fish|demersal]] spawners despite their large size). Eggs are scattered and attached to sand particles. Triggerfish eggs are usually very small (diameter of 0.5–0.6&nbsp;mm)<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{cite journal|last=Kawase|first=Hiroshi|year=2003|title=Maternal egg care in the bridled triggerfish, ''Sufflamen fraenatus'' (Balistidae) at Hachijojima island, Japan.|journal=Natural History Research|volume=7|pages=193–197}}</ref> and are easily spread by waves. After spawning, both the male and female participate in caring for the fertilized eggs (biparental egg care). A female triggerfish stays near the spawning ground, around 5 m off the bottom, and guards the eggs within her territory against intruders. Some common intruders include ''[[Parupeneus multifasciatus]], [[Zanclus cornutus]], [[Prionurus scalprum]]'', and conspecifics. Besides guarding, females roll, fan, and blow water on eggs to provide oxygen to the embryos, thereby inducing hatching.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.howfishbehave.ca/pdf/Are%20fishes%20good%20parents.pdf|title=Are fishes good parents?|last=Reebs|first=Stéphan G.|date=2011–2015|publisher=[[Université de Moncton]]|via=howfishbehave.ca|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031133/http://www.howfishbehave.ca/pdf/Are%20fishes%20good%20parents.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> This behavior of female triggerfish is called "tending", and males rarely perform this behavior. A male triggerfish stays farther above the eggs and guards all the females and eggs in his territory. Males exhibit aggressive behaviors against conspecific males near the boundaries of their territories.

===Mating systems===

In crosshatch triggerfish (''[[Xanthichthys mento]]'') and yellow margin triggerfish (''[[Pseudobalistes flavimarginatus]]''), eggs are spawned in the morning and they hatch after the sunset on the same day. After hatching of embryos, the female crosshatch triggerfish leaves the male's territory. This mating system is an example of male-territory-visiting [[Animal sexual behaviour#Polygamy|polygamy]]. Triggerfishes exhibit other types of mating systems, as well, such as a nonterritorial-female (NTF) polygyny and territorial-female (TF) polygyny. In NTF polygyny, nonterritorial females stay in the male's territory and reproduce. In TF polygyny, a female owns territory within a male's territory and will spawn in her territory.<ref name=":6" />

==Life history==
Triggerfish lay their demersal eggs in a small hole dug in the sea bottom. Off [[Florida]], juveniles of some species of triggerfishes are found in floating ''[[Sargassum]]'', where they feed on the small [[shrimp]], [[crab]]s, and [[Mollusca|mollusks]] found there.<ref name="EoF">{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Fishes: A Comprehensive Guide by International Experts|last1=Matsuura|first1=K.|last2=Tyler|first2=J.C.|publisher=Academic Press|year=1998|isbn=0-12-547665-5|editor=Paxton|editor-first=John R.|location=San Diego|pages=228–229|editor2=Eschmeyer|editor-first2=William N.}}</ref>

==Edibility==
[[File:Madeira_Drückerfisch_Küste_Funchal_5-07.JPG|thumb|Grey triggerfish caught off the coast of [[Madeira]]]]

Some species of triggerfish, such as the titan triggerfish, may be [[Ciguatera|ciguatoxic]] and should be avoided.<ref name=Lieske/> Others, however, such as the [[grey triggerfish]] (''Balistes capriscus''), are edible.<ref name="trigger fish">{{cite web|url=https://marvelouschef.com/how-to-cook-triggerfish/|title=How To Cook Triggerfish In The Most Delicious Way|last1=Evans|first1=Jade|website=MarvelousChef.com|date=10 May 2017 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729180654/https://marvelouschef.com/how-to-cook-triggerfish/|archive-date=29 July 2017|access-date=4 July 2017}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Reef Triggerfish 1.JPG|The [[reef triggerfish]] is the [[List of U.S. state fish|state fish]] of Hawaii.
File:Balistapus undulatus.jpg|Most triggerfish are aggressive, but few match the [[orange-lined triggerfish]].<ref name=McDavid/>
File:2005-03-01 - Gilded triggerfish.jpg|The [[gilded triggerfish]] is among the few [[sexually dimorphic]] triggerfish. The female lacks the blue throat and yellow fin-edging.
File:Redtoothed triggerfish.jpg|The [[redtoothed triggerfish]] is one of the relatively few [[planktivore]]s of the family.
File:Balistes vetula - 01.jpg|The [[queen triggerfish]] has elegant extensions to its fins.
File:Sargassum triggerfish Xanthichthys ringens.jpg|Adult [[sargassum triggerfish]] live around [[reef]]s and [[Bank (topography)|banks]], but juveniles live around [[sargassum]].
</gallery>


==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Balistidae}}
* {{Wikispecies-inline|Balistidae}}
* {{wiktionary-inline|Balistidae}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q504796}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Balistidae| ]]
[[Category:Balistoidei]]
[[Category:Extant Eocene first appearances]]
[[Category:Bartonian first appearances]]