Fish of the Balistes genus of the Balistidae (triggerfishes) family of the Tetraodontiformes order of the Acanthopterygii superorder.
(Grey triggerfish. Photo © camping-le-moteno.co.uk)
Grey triggerfish (Balistes capriscus) was first described in 1789 by the German doctor, botanist and chemist Johann Friedrich Gmelin (1748-1804).
It inhabits the depths of up to 100 meters, usually up to 50 meters. It prefers to swim close to the rocky bottom, often enters the bays, lagoons and harbors. It is a loner fish. Sometimes, it makes small schools. The maximum recorded length is 60 cm; specimens up to 45 cm long are more common. The maximum weight is 6.2 kilograms. It feeds on bottom mollusks, squids and fish.
(Grey triggerfish. Photo by © Pedro Niny Duarte(c)ImagDOP. fishbase.org)
It is a permanent inhabitant of the Adriatic Sea.
Names of grey triggerfish (Balistes capriscus) in other languages as follows:
Peshku derr (Albanian), Grijze trekkervis (Dutch), Γουρουνόψαρο (Gourounópsaro) (Greek), Hazirit (Hebrew), Pejepuerco blanco (Spanish), Pesce balestra (Italian), Grauer Drückerfisch (German), Rogatnica (Polish), Acarapicu (Portuguese), Balista (Romanian), Серый спинорог (Seryi spinorog) (Russian), Kostorog (Serbian, Croatian), Balestra (Slovenian), Çotira (Turkish), Baliste cabri (French).