| Lactophrys trigonus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Tetraodontiformes |
| Suborder: | Ostracioidea |
| Family: | Ostraciidae |
| Genus: | Lactophrys |
| Species: | L. trigonus |
| Binomial name | |
| Lactophrys trigonus | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
Lactophrys trigonus, the buffalo trunkfish or trunkfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. The buffalo trunkfish is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean.
Lactophrys trigonus was first formally described as Ostracion trigonus in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae with its type locality given as the Western Atlantic. [3] In 1839 William John Swainson proposed a new subgenus of Ostracion he called Lactophrys and in 1865 Pieter Bleeker designated this species, O. trigonus as the type species of Lactophrys. [4] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the genus Lactophrys within the family Ostraciidae in the suborder Ostracioidea within the order Tetraodontiformes. [5]
Lactophrys trigonus is a member of the genus Lactophrys, a name which is a compound of lactaria, meaning a "milkcow", and ophrys, meaning "eyebrow", a reference to the spines above the eyes resembling the horns of a cow. Some fishes in this family are known as cowfishes. The specific name, trigonus, means "three angles", a reference to this fish's triangular body when viewed head on. [6]
The trunkfish has small diffuse white spots. Two areas, located on the pectoral region and halfway between gills and posterior end of carapace, contain dark-edged hexagonal plates that together form chain-like markings. [7] It can reach a length of 30–50 cm and weigh up to 3.3 kg. [2]
The species is native to the Western Atlantic from Canada to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean. Records from the Mediterranean still lack verification. It inhabits areas with coral rubble, seagrass beds and offshore reefs, preferring depths above 50 m (160 ft). [1]
Boxfish are benthic feeders and will forage on seagrasses, crustaceans, mollusks, worms, tunicates and a variety of small benthic invertebrates. They are a popular food throughout the Caribbean, and a minor species in the aquarium trade. [1]
The honeycomb cowfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. This fish is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean.
Ostraciidae or Ostraciontidae is a family of squared, bony fish belonging to the order Tetraodontiformes, closely related to the pufferfishes and filefishes. Fish in the family are known variously as boxfishes, cofferfishes, cowfishes and trunkfishes. It contains about 23 extant species in 6 extant genera.
The scrawled cowfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. This species is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean.
The spotted trunkfish is a member of the family Ostraciidae. It lives in reefs throughout the Caribbean, as well as the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. It gets its name from the black spots on its whitish or yellow-golden body. In Caribbean countries, it is colloquially known as the boxfish, cow-fish or shellfish.
Lactophrys triqueter the smooth trunkfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. The smooth trunkfish is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean.
Anoplocapros is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Aracanidae, the deepwater boxfishes or temperate boxfishes. These fishes are endemic to the waters around Australia.
Aracana is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Aracanidae, the deepwater boxfishes or temperate boxfishes. These fishes are endemic to the waters around Australia.
Kentrocapros is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Aracanidae, the deepwater boxfishes or temperate boxfishes. These fishes are found in the coastal waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Polyplacapros is a monospecific genus of ray-finned fish beloning to the family Aracanidae, the temperate boxfishes or deep water boxfishes. The only species in the genus is Polyplacapros tyleri, Tyler's boxfish, which is found in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
Lactophrys is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. The boxfishes in this genus are found in the western Atlantic Ocean and are known as trunkfishes.
Lactoria is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. The fishes in this genus are found in the Indo-Pacific, with one species extending into the southeastern Atlantic.
Hollardia is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Triacanthodidae, the spikefishes. These demersal fishes are found in the Western Atlantic Ocean with one species being found in the Pacific Ocean.
Aracana ornata, the ornate cowfish or ornate boxfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Aracanidae, the deepwater boxfishes or temperate boxfishes. This species is endemic to the seas off southern Australia.
Aracana aurita, Shaw's cowfish, painted boxfish, Southern cowfish or striped cowfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Aracanidae, the deepwater boxfishes or temperate boxfishes. This species is endemic to the seas off southern Australia.
Anoplocapros lenticularis, the white-barred boxfish, flame boxfish, high-backed boxfish, humpback boxfish, humpty dumpty or smooth boxfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Aracanidae, the deepwater boxfishes or temperate boxfishes. This fish is endemic to the seas of southern and western Australia.
The island cowfish, also known as the hogfish, bottlefish boxfish or island boxfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the cowfishes. This fish is found around the islands of the mid-Atlantic Ocean and has beeen recorded from Western Africa.
Lactoria diaphana, the roundbelly cowfish, diaphonous cowfish, many-spined cowfish, spiny cowfish or transparent cowfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. This fish is found in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Indo-Pacific.
Ostracioidea or Ostracioidei, the boxfishes, is a suborder of ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Tetraodontiformes, which also includes the pufferfishes, filefishes and triggerfishes. The fishes in this taxon are found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Kentrocapros aculeatus, the Itomaki basketfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish beloning to the family Aracanidae, the temperate boxfishes or deepwater boxfishes. This species is found in the north western and central Pacific Ocean.
Acanthostracion guineense, the West African cowfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. This species is found off the coast of Western Africa in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. This species is the smallest member of the genus Acanthostracion.
