Balistes polylepis, Galapagos, Ecuador, Photo: Graham Edgar
Balistes polylepis, Gulf of California, Mexico, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Distribution
Tropical Eastern Pacific
Description
Body deep and oval-shaped, blue-grey with visible scales, and a small mouth at at the tip of the snout. First dorsal spine thick and elongate, first dorsal fin standing up like a crest, second dorsal and tail fin tall and used as primary means of propulsion.
Information
Max Size: 76 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 19.6-30.2°C
Depth: 3-50m
Habitat: Coral Reef, Rocky Reef
Habitat Generalisation Index: 2.8
Also referred to as the SGI (Species generalisation index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species.
Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most
hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here
Rarity
IUCN Threat Status: Least Concern
Occurrence: Frequent (12% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution.
It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Few (2 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
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