Balistoides
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| Balistoides | |
|---|---|
.JPG) | |
| Balistoides conspicillum | |
.jpg) | |
| Balistoides viridescens | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Tetraodontiformes |
| Family: | Balistidae |
| Genus: | Balistoides Fraser-Brunner, 1935 |
| Type species | |
| Balistes viridescens Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801 | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Balistoides is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Balistidae, the triggerfishes. The triggerfishes in this genus are found in the Indo-Pacific region.
Etymology
Balistoides was first proposed as a genus in 1935 by the English ichthyologist Alec Fraser-Brunner with Balistes viridescens designated as its type species.[2] B. viridescens had originally been described in 1801 by the German naturalists Marcus Elieser Bloch and Johann Gottlob Schneider with its type locality not given. Nevertheless, its type locality is Mauritius, as the description was based on Bernard Germain de Lacépède's Baliste verdatre.[3]
A 2016 study found that Balistoides was not monophyletic with B. conspiciillum being sister to Balistapus , with Melichthys being its next closest relative, while B. viridescens was recovered as sister to Pseudobalistes. However, the 2016 study stated that the results concerning the "close association" of Balistapus undulatus and Balistoides conspicillum were only "moderately supported",[4] and it has not resulted in the classification of the triggerfishes being changed.[1]
Balistoides sufffixes -oides onto Balistes and means "having the form of Balistes".[5]
Species
Balistoides contains 2 currently recognised species:[3]
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Balistoides conspicillum (Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801) | Clown triggerfish | Tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian Ocean and in the western Pacific Ocean. |
 | Balistoides viridescens (Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801) | Titan triggerfish | Indo-Pacific |