Its body coloration ranges from steel grey to olive green, but areas around its mouth is orange with striking electric blue rays.

Balistes vetula was first formally described in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae published in 1758 with its type locality given as Ascension Island.

[4] Balistes is the type genus of the family Balistidae, which is classified in the suborder Balistoidei in the order Tetraodontiformes.

George Shaw said "It is supposed to have obtained the popular title of Old Wife Fish from the appearance of the mouth when viewed in front, as well as from the slightly murmuring noise which it utters when first taken.

The body is generally steel grey to oval green, with orange parts below its mouth and pectoral fin.

[9] Its first dorsal fin is triangular, with spines to stuck the fish into cervices when resting or escaping from predators.

[11] When feeding, it generally repeatedly bites the victim in order to crush its shell or detach it from the reef by sharp incisors.

Purposes of such behavior include to repositioning the prey for further bites or removing inedible parts.

[13] When breeding, it digs a shallow sand pit on seabed with its fin and lays eggs inside.

[17] In natural environment, main predators of queen triggerfishes are larger piscivorous reef fishes, such as jacks, groupers and sharks.

[7] It is the host of whole variety of parasites including several species of copepods, isopods, leeches, tapeworms, flukes and nematodes.

In addition to that, Puerto Rico and U.S Virgin Islands have protected its breeding grounds as no-take zones.

However, its population in Brazilian water and the Gulf of Guinea has suffered disastrous decline, losing more than 90% of individuals since 1980s, primarily due to overfishing.