English Name: Yellowmargin triggerfish
Family: BALISTIDAE
Local Name: Vilu rondu
Order: Tetraodontiformes
Size: Max. 60 cm
Specimen: MRS/0347/89
Distinctive Characters: Dorsal fin with 3 spines and 24-27 rays. Anal fin with 23-25 rays. Pectoral fin with 15 or 16 rays. Deep groove anterior to eye. Shallow horizontal groove on cheek. Anterior part of cheek without scales; posterior part with small scales. Caudal peduncle with 5 or 6 rows of small spines. Caudal fin rounded in young, emarginate in adults, the lobes prolonged in large adults.
Colour: Pale yellowish brown. Scales with dark centres. Front of head often light yellow-orange.
Margins of second dorsal, anal, and caudal fins often yellowish.
Habitat and Biology: Found in a wide-ranging habitats, hut commonest on sheltered reef areas with much sand. Feeds on benthic invertebrates.
Distribution: Indo-Pacific.
Remarks: Pseudobalistesflavimarginatus is one of two large triggerfishes commonly seen by divers in the Maldives. The other is B. viridescens. P. flavimarginatus nests in deep lagoon areas. Fortunately this species does not defend its nests as aggressively as B. viridescens, although this some individulas can be very aggressive.