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], 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: East Africa, South Africa, Socotra, Seychelles, Madagascar and Mascarenes east to Marshall Islands and Tuamotu Archipelago, north to southern Japan and Ogasawara Islands, south to Australia and New Caledonia. Habitat: marine.