Abstract
The trigger-fish dentition is polyphyodont, with attachment by a periodontal ligament similar to the periodontium found in mammals, the teeth thus having a longer functional life and a slower rate of development and eruption than is seen in many fish. Histological studies reveal that balistid dentin begins development prior to the appearance of the initial enamel matrix. The reactions to a battery of stains exhibited by the dentin and the enamel matrix are indistinguishable from those seen in the developing teeth of amphibians, reptiles and mammals. In the balistids, the enamel matrix is a product of columnar ameloblasts and is an "ectodermal enamel" rather than a "mesodermal enamel" as has been described in other osseous fish.
