| Ostracion trachys | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Male | |
 | |
| Juvenile | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Tetraodontiformes |
| Family: | Ostraciidae |
| Genus: | Ostracion |
| Species: | O. trachys |
| Binomial name | |
| Ostracion trachys Randall, 1975 | |
Ostracion trachys, the rough boxfish or roughskin trunkfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. It is found in the Western Indian Ocean around the Mascarenes.
Ostracion trachys was first formally described in 1975 by the American ichthyologist John Ernest Randall with its type locality given as a patch reef about 800 m (2,600 ft) northeast of Grand Baie on Mauritius. [1] This species is classified in the genus Ostracion which the 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies within the family Ostraciidae in the suborder Ostracioidea within the order Tetraodontiformes. [2]
Ostracion trachys is classified in the genus Ostracion, this name means "little box" and is an allusion to the shape of the body of its type species, O. cubicum. The specific name, trachys means "rough", an allusion to the feel of the carapace, especially where the scales have a spinule at their centre. [3]
Ostracion trachys has 9 soft rays in both the dorsal and anal fins, while the caudal fin has the lowermost and uppermost of its 10 rays being simple and the remaining 8 being branched. The caudal fin has a convex rear margin. The carapace is oblong in shape with convex dorsal and ventral surfaces and is concave at the sides. The plate-like scales that form the carapace are hexagonal in shape, with most of the plates, particularly to the rear of the body and on the back, having a spinule. The adult males are blackish on the upper body with small white spots which extend as far as the area between the eyes, where there is a white band with black margins. The snout and sides of the carapace are bluish grey broken by an obvious white stripe along the carapace's upper ridge. The caudal peduncle and the caudal fin are dark brown with a small number of white spots at the base of the caudal fin. The ventral surface of the body is bluish grey and a large white spot with a black margin at the gill slit. The upper lip is dark with a white margin and the lower lip is white. Females are dark brown to black with the back and sides of the carapace spotted with white spot. The underside is whitish with brown bands and yellow-margined brown spots. Juveniles are also dark brown to black with small circular white spots on the sides with a whitish ventral surface with small, indistinct dark spots. [4] The rough boxfish has a maximum published total length of 11 cm (4.3 in). [5]
Ostracion trachys is found in the Western Indian Ocean off the Mascarene ISlands of Mauritius and Réunion. [4] It is a secretive species which lives at depths as 15 and 30 m (49 and 98 ft), hiding in holes and crevices in rocky reefs. [5]
Ostracion is a genus of is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. These fishes are found in the Indo-Pacific region as far east as the eastern Pacific coasts of the Americas.
The yellow boxfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. This species is found in reefs throughout the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean as well as the southeastern Atlantic Ocean. Recorded occasionally since 2011 in the Levantine waters of the Mediterranean Sea which it likely entered via the Suez Canal, it is a species appreciated in the aquarium trade.
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.
Ostracion solorense, the reticulate boxfish, scribbled boxfish, Solor boxfish or striped boxfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. This species is found in the far eastern Indian Ocean and Western Pacific Ocean.
The spotted boxfish, also known as the black boxfish, ornate boxfish or white-spotted boxfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. This species is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It occurs on reefs at depths of from 1 to 30 metres. This species grows to a length of 25 centimetres. Males and females differ in colour: males are blackish on the back with white spots, and have bluish sides with bright yellowish bands and spots. Females and juveniles are dark brown to blackish with white spots. As with other species of boxfish, the spotted boxfish's bony carapace gives it a distinctly angular appearance; it has been described as resembling an ottoman.
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.
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.
Paracanthostracion is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. The only species in the genus is Paracanthostracion lindsayi, Lindsay's boxfish, which is found in the Southwestern Pacific Ocean.
Ostracion rhinorhynchos, the horn-nosed boxfish or torpedo boxfish, is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. This fish occurs in the Indo-West Pacific region.
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, the 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.
The Shortnose boxfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. This species is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
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 been 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.
The Western smooth boxfish, also known as the blue boxfish or robust boxfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Aracanidae, the deep water boxfishes or temperate boxfishes. This fish is endemic to the seas of southwestern Australia.
The Eastern smooth boxfish, also known as the chubby basketfish, freckled boxfish, golden boxfish, polled boxfish, robust boxfish or white-barred boxfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Aracanidae, the deepwater boxfishes or tempereate boxfishes. This fish is endemic to the seas of southeastern Australia.
Ostracion cyanurus, the bluetail trunkfish, Arabian trunkfish or Red Sea boxfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. This species is found in the Western Indian Ocean.
Ostracion immaculatum, the bluespotted boxfish or immaculate boxfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. This species is found in the Western Pacific Ocean off Eastern Asia.
Whitley's boxfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. This fish is found in the Eastern Central Pacific Ocean.