Queen triggerfish
(Balistes vetula)

Balistes vetula, the queen triggerfish or old wife, is a reef dwelling triggerfish found in the Atlantic Ocean. It is occasionally caught as a gamefish, and sometimes kept in very large marine aquaria.

This fish is called cochino in Cuba, and this is the probable origin of the name Bahía de Cochinos, which is known as the Bay of Pigs in English.

The queen triggerfish reaches 60 cm (24 in), though most only are about half that length.

It is typically blue, purple, turquoise and green with a yellowish throat, and light blue lines on the fins and head. It can change colour somewhat to match its surroundings, or if subjected to stress.

In the western Atlantic, it ranges from Canada to southern Brazil, and in the eastern Atlantic it is found at Ascension, Cape Verde, Azores and south to Angola. It is reasonably common in Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean.