Description: A small to medium-sized fish. Deep body, with a small terminal mouth with 8 heavy, notched teeth in each jaw. Three dorsal spines, followed by a dorsal fin composed of soft rays. The skin is very tough, with large plate like scales. The gill opening is a short slit in front of the pectoral fin base. The scales above the pectoral fin base and behind the gill slit are enlarged and form a flexible tympanum. Three faint irregular broad dark bars on body; a narrow pale transverse band on chin; small light blue spots on upper half of body and median fins, and irregular short lines ventrally. Olivaceous grey with dark spots.
Global Distribution: Eastern Atlantic: Mediterranean to Angola. Western Atlantic: Canada, Bermuda, and northern Gulf of Mexico to Argentina. View Map
BIOLOGICAL FEATURES
Size: Maximum length 60.0 cm (total length); common length 44.0 cm (TL); maximum published weight: 6.2 kg.
Age: Estimated longevity 11-13 years.
Weight length rel.: Azores (Rosa et al. 2006): a=0.0124, b=3.164, r2=0.956 (n=22)
Portugal, south coast (Santos et al. 2002): a=0.0088, b=3.152, r2=0.911 (n=123).
Portugal, west coast (Mendes et al. 2004): a=0.1981, b=2.336, r2=0.821 (n=35).
FishBase: Bayesian estimated length-weight relationship: a=0.01950 (0.01532 - 0.02482), b=2.96 (2.89 - 3.03).
Growth type: Negative allometric (Mendes et al. 2004) / Isometric (Santos et al. 2002)
von Bertallanfy growth parameters:
Reproduction: Oviparous.
Maturity: 16.3 cm, range 13 - ? cm.
Behavioural ecology: Usually solitary or in small groups.
Population structure & migrations:
ECOLOGICAL FEATURES
Depth range: FishBase: 0 - 100 m, usually 0 - 55 m.
Habitat: Reef-associated. Inhabits bays, harbors, lagoons, and seaward reefs. May drift with young at surface among Sargassum.
Feeding habits: Feeds on benthic invertebrates like molluscs and crustaceans.
Conservation status: Global: Not evaluated.
Europe: Data deficient.
Nutritional information & food safety:
Proximate composition per 100 g:
energy value 91.4 kcal (4.6% DRV)
protein 20.04 g (40.1% DRV)
fat 0.65 g (0.9% DRV)
of which saturates 0.110 g (0.6% DRV)
omega-3 (EPA+DHA): 0.301 g (120% min. DRV)
Health warning: reports of ciguatera poisoning in some areas.
REFERENCES
Bernardes R.A. (2002). Age, growth and longevity of the gray triggerfish, Balistes capriscus (Tetraodontiformes: Balistidae), from the Southeastern Brazilian Coast. Scientia Marina, 66(2): 167-173.
Carpenter K.E., ed. (2002). The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Volume 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae), sea turtles and marine mammals. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes and American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication No. 5. FAO, Rome, pp. 1375-2127.
Direcção Regional de Pescas, Madeira.
FAO-WHO (2010). Fat and fatty acids in human nurition. Report of an expert consultation, 10-14 November 2008, Geneva. FAO Food and Nutrition Paper 91. Rome, Italy, 180 pp.
IUCN (2014). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. www.iucnredlist.org
Johnson A.G., Saloman C.H. (1984). Age, growth and mortality of gray triggerfish, Balistes capriscus, from the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Fishery Bulletin, 82(3): 485-492.
McEachran J.D., Fechhelm J.D. (2006). Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. Vol. 2. Scorpaeniformes to Tetraodontiformes. University of Texas Press, Texas, USA, 1008 pp.
Mendes B., Fonseca P., Campos A. (2004). Weight–length relationships for 46 fish species of the Portuguese west coast. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 20(5): 355-361.
Nieto A., Ralph G.M., Comeros-Raynal M.T., Kemp J., GarcÃa Criado M., Allen D.J., Dulvy N.K., Walls R.H.L., Russell B., Pollard D., GarcÃa S., Craig M., Collette B.B., Pollom R., Biscoito M., Labbish Chao N., Abella A., Afonso P., Ãlvarez H., Carpenter K.E., Clò S., Cook R., Costa M.J., Delgado J., Dureuil M., Ellis J.R., Farrell E.D., Fernandes P., Florin A-B., Fordham S., Fowle, S., Gil de Sola L., Gil Herrera J., Goodpaster A., Harvey M., Heessen H., Herler J., Jung A., Karmovskaya E., Keskin C., Knudsen S.W., Kobyliansky S., KovaÄić M., Lawson J.M., Lorance P., McCully Phillips S., Munroe T., Nedreaas K., Nielsen J., Papaconstantinou C., Polidoro B., Pollock C.M., Rijnsdorp A.D., Sayer C., Scott J., Serena F., Smith-Vaniz W.F., Soldo A., Stump E., Williams J.T. (2015). Europen Red List of Marine Fishes. IUCN and European Union, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 90 pp.
Rosa A., Menezes G., Melo O., Pinho M.R. (2006). Weight–length relationships of 33 demersal fish species from Azores archipelago. Fisheries Research, 80(2): 329-332.
Santos M.N., Gaspar M.B., Vasconcelos P., Monteiro C.C. (2002). Weight–length relationships for 50 selected fish species of the Algarve coast (southern Portugal). Fisheries Research, 59(1): 289-295.
Simões T., Carvalho J., Sousa A., Lemos M.F.L., Gil M.M., Pedrosa R., Tecelão C. (2013). Seasonal variation in proximate composition and fatty acid profile of grey triggerfish Balistes capriscus captured along the coast of Portugal. Journal of Food Science, 78(5): C691-C695.
