Triggerfish
| Triggerfish Temporal range:  | |
|---|---|
| Lagoon triggerfish | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota | 
| Kingdom: | Animalia | 
| Phylum: | Chordata | 
| Class: | Actinopterygii | 
| Order: | Tetraodontiformes | 
| Suborder: | Balistoidei | 
| Family: | Balistidae A. Risso, 1810 | 
| Genera | |
| See text | |
Triggerfish are about 40 species of often brightly colored marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Balistidae. Often marked by lines and spots, they inhabit tropical and 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 reefs, 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.