Balistes punctatus was first formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin with the type locality given as the "Indian Ocean".

[2] Balistes punctatus is found in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean along the coast of Western Africa, between Morocco and Angola.

[1] There is a record from the eastern Mediterranean Sea off Lebanon in June 2020, thought to be a released aquarium fish.

[2] Balistes puncatus has a relatively wide distribution but the triggerfish catch has declined in the decades leading up to 2025 in Togo and Ghana.

There were some indications that the fishery was possibly under-exploited, and the significant decline in biomass was due to changes in environmental conditions.

However, the triggerfish fishery in Ghana remains inactive, and the IUCN have stated that more research is needed on why this species has declined.