A new triggerfish of the genus Abalistes (Tetraodontiformes: Balistidae) from the western Pacific
Abstract
A new species of triggerfish, Abalistes filamentosus is described on the basis of 17 specimens collected at depths from 61 to 180 m in Japan, the Northwest Shelf of Australia, and the Timor Sea. It differs from the congener, A. stellatus (Anonymous, 1798), by having filamentous upper and lower caudal-fin rays, 3–4 longitudinal grooves on the cheek, and by lacking yellow/pale blue spots and yellow reticulations on the body. The new species is not sexually dimorphic. The authorship of Abalistes stellatusis clarified.