fuscus, Balistes Bloch [M. E.] & Schneider [J. G.] 1801:471 [M. E. Blochii, Systema Ichthyologiae; ref. 471] No locality stated [Indian Ocean]. Syntypes: MNHN B-3043 (1) Mer des Indes, B-3044 (1) Mer des Indes. Type catalog: Beaunier et al. 2009:289 [ref. 28887]. Neotype designation by Fricke 1999:583 [ref. 24106] is invalid; see Fricke 2000:639 [ref. 24537]. Based on the "Baliste grande tache" of Lacepède 1798:378 [ref. 2708], which was based on a description in a manuscript by Commerson (Philibert Commerson, 1727-1773, French explorer and naturalist). •Valid as Balistes fuscus Bloch & Schneider 1801 -- (Kyushin et al. 1977:340 [ref. 19756]). •Valid as Pseudobalistes fuscus (Bloch & Schneider 1801) -- (Kyushin et al. 1982:294 [ref. 19754], Dor 1984:276 [ref. 29757], Matsuura in Masuda et al. 1984:358 [ref. 6441], Smith & Heemstra 1986:880 [ref. 5714], Allen & Swainston 1988:150 [ref. 25477], Randall et al. 1990:455 [ref. 15987], Kuiter 1993:393 [ref. 23929], Goren & Dor 1994:73 [ref. 25356], Allen 1997:238 [ref. 23977], Kuiter 1997:390 [ref. 25488], Randall et al. 1997:455 [ref. 25919], Myers 1999:282 [ref. 23965], Fricke 1999:582 [ref. 24106], Randall 1999:30 [ref. 25829], Matsuura in Randall & Lim 2000:647 [ref. 25122], Nakabo 2000:1397 [ref. 25182], Laboute & Grandperrin 2000:456 [ref. 25191], Hutchins 2001:47 [ref. 25847], Matsuura 2001:3923 [ref. 26315], Nakabo 2002:1397 [ref. 26193], Allen & Adrim 2003:64 [ref. 26830], Manilo & Bogorodsky 2003:S123 [ref. 27377], Myers & Donaldson 2003:649 [ref. 27495], Randall et al. 2004:31 [ref. 27624], Heemstra et al. 2004:3331 [ref. 27945], Randall 2005:625 [ref. 28239], Allen et al. 2006:1873 [ref. 29098], Fricke et al. 2009:116 [ref. 30213], Motomura et al. 2010:233 [ref. 31256], Allen & Erdmann 2012:1064 [ref. 31980], Larson et al. 2013:232 [ref. 32988], Fricke et al. 2014:193 [ref. 33932], Matsuura 2014:7 [ref. 33576], Sahayak et al. 2014:25 [ref. 37751], Psomadakis et al. 2015:333 [ref. 34104], Koeda et al. 2016:111 [ref. 35333], Fricke et al. 2018:378 [ref. 35805], Golani & Fricke 2018:178 [ref. 36273], Fricke et al. 2019:323 [ref. 36673], Zajonz et al. 2019:101 [ref. 36871], Psomadakis et al. 2020:608 [ref. 37272], Durville et al. 2021:315 [ref. 38802], Parenti 2021:655 [ref. 38921], Gloerfelt-Tarp & Kailola 2022:293 [ref. 41223], Matsuura 2022:422 [ref. 40250], Moazzam & Osmany 2022:333 [ref. 39925], Mochizuki et al. 2022:70 [ref. 39927]). Current status: Valid as Pseudobalistes fuscus (Bloch & Schneider 1801). Balistidae. Distribution: Red Sea; Indo-West Pacific: KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa), East Africa, Socotra (Yemen), Seychelles, Madagascar and Mascarenes (La Réunion, Mauritius, Rodrigues) east to Marshall Islands and Tuamotu Archipelago (French Polynesia), north to southern Japan and Ogasawara Islands (Japan), south to Australia and New Caledonia. Habitat: marine.