Balistoides viridescens (Bloch & Schneider 1801)

Andréfouët, Serge, Chen, Wei-Jen, Kinch, Jeff, Mana, Ralph, Russell, Barry C., Tully, Dean & White, William T., 2019, Checklist of the marine and estuarine fishes of New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Ocean, with 810 new records, Zootaxa 4588 (1), pp. 1-360 : 321

Balistoides viridescens (Bloch & Schneider 1801) —Titan triggerfish ( Fig. 162 )

Status at New Ireland. New record, based on specimens observed at Kavieng fish market in 2004–2005 by Jeff Kinch during CFMDP Survey , and by Barry C. Russell on 7 June 2014; a specimen photographed at Lissenung Island by Dietmar Amon on 11 Oct. 2007 a video of a specimen taken at Anelaua Island , off eastern New Hanover , 4–12 m depth, St. KR 130, in 2014 (identified by Barry C. Russell).

Distribution and habitat. New Ireland: 1, 2.—General distribution: Red Sea and East Africa, Madagascar and Mascarenes east to Wake Atoll and Pitcairn Group, north to southern Japan and Ogasawara Islands, south to New South Wales ( Australia) and Tonga. Found in lagoon and seaward reefs and sheltered inner coral and rocky reef slopes; juveniles often associated with isolated patches of branching coral or rubble of shallow sandy protected areas, including tidal pools; adults occur singly or in pairs on the slopes of deep lagoon or seaward reefs, 0–50 m depth. Marine.

Figures

FIGURE 162. Balistoides viridescens (Bloch & Schneider 1801), Lissenung Island, Kavieng District, 11 Oct. 2007 (underwater photograph: Dietmar Amon).