Spotted boxfish

Last updated

Spotted boxfish
Whitespotted boxfish Ostracion meleagris photo Randall J E.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Tetraodontiformes
Family: Ostraciidae
Genus: Ostracion
Species:
O. meleagris
Binomial name
Ostracion meleagris
G. Shaw, 1796
Synonyms [2]

The spotted boxfish (Ostracion meleagris), 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 (3.3 to 98.4 feet). This species grows to a length of 25 centimetres (9.8 inches). 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. [3] 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. [4]

Contents

Taxonomy

The spotted boxfishwas first formally described in 1796 by the English naturalist George Shaw with its type locality given as the Southern Ocean, i.e. the South Pacific. [5] The spotted trunkfish 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. [6]

Etymology

The spotted boxfish 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, meleagris is the specific name of the helmeted guineafowl and is an allusion to the white spots on a dark background like the plumage pattern of a guineafowl. [7]

Description & Anatomy

The Spotted Boxfish has an oblong thick body that are enclosed in a bony box formed by thickened, joined, enlarged, and hexagonal scale plates. [8] Juveniles with male patterns or colors are never seen or has never been spotted before; either the juvenile males are born with the female colors, or all the young juveniles are born as a female and change their sex later in their life. [9]

Their diet consists of sponges, worms, tunicates as well as other small invertebrates. [10]

Their box has openings for the mouth, eyes, gill slits, fins, and tail base. Their backs are slightly rounded. They have a pair of longitudinal ridges on their lower flanks, a flat bottom, and no spines. Their small mouth opens at the front with fleshy lips and has 15 mid-sized teeth on each jaw. Their gill openings are short and form oblique slits in front of their pectoral base. Their anal and dorsal fins are at the rear; their caudal fin is rounded; their dorsal fin has no spines; and, they do not have pelvic fins. [8]

The Spotted Boxfish make noises and sounds during the mating process. For example, when mating, the male or female, sometimes both, make a low pitched humming sound that lasts for about 6 seconds. Another example is after the mating process, when another male comes to “spawn” with the female or to disrupt the mating process, the two males fight each other, sometimes creating an audible thump sound & they even produce a short buzzing sound. [9]

They are protected by a toxic slime that can kill other fish, thus making them unsuitable for use in aquariums. [8]

Habitat

They can be found in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. They can also be found in seaward and protected reefs. [10] That’s just where the adults reside most of the time, whilst the juveniles often find shelter between the long spines of the tropical sea urchins anchored to the rocks. [11]

Reproduction

Phillip Lobel, an ichthyologist, found out that they mate during the afternoon and the early evening hours. The Spotted Boxfish species usually travel in a group, consisting of one male and several females. They start the mating process by the male nudging and circling one female. When she responds, they swim side-by-side while rising 6 ft or more from the bottom. The male leads the female to that point. Staying in that side-by-side formation with their tails together & heads slightly apart from one another, they both release their gametes (a mature haploid male or female germ cell which is able to unite with another of the opposite sex in sexual reproduction) and swim back to the bottom again together. Unfortunately, when that process is done and they both are with each other at the bottom again, it calls males to the female Boxfish to disrupt the process or calls them to mate with her instead, and that’s why fights are not uncommon between male Spotted Boxfishes. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honeycomb cowfish</span> Species of fish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longhorn cowfish</span> Species of fish

The longhorn cowfish, also called the horned boxfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. This species is recognizable by its long horns that protrude from the front of its head, rather like those of a cow or bull. They are a resident of the Indo-Pacific region and can grow up to 50 cm (20 in) long.

<i>Ostracion</i> Genus of fishes

Ostracion 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow boxfish</span> Species of fish

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. They are known for their cuboid body shape, bright yellow and black spotted coloration, and the secretion of a toxic mucus when threatened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scrawled cowfish</span> Species of fish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spotted trunkfish</span> Species of fish

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.

<i>Ostracion solorense</i> Species of fish

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.

<i>Lactophrys</i> Genus of fishes

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.

<i>Ostracion rhinorhynchos</i> Species of fish

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.

<i>Aracana ornata</i> Species of fish

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.

<i>Aracana aurita</i> Species of fish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shortnose boxfish</span> Species of fish

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.

<i>Lactophrys trigonus</i> Species of fish

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.

<i>Anoplocapros lenticularis</i> Species of fish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western smooth boxfish</span> Species of fish

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.

<i>Ostracion cyanurus</i> Species of fish

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.

<i>Ostracion immaculatum</i> Species of fish

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.

<i>Ostracion trachys</i> Species of fish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitley's boxfish</span> Species of fish

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.

References

  1. ↑ Stiefel, K.M. & Williams, J.T. (2024). "Ostracion meleagris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2024: e.T193596A2244898. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  2. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Ostracion meleagris". FishBase . June 2024 version.
  3. ↑ Dianne J. Bray, 2011, Black Boxfish, Ostracion meleagris, in Fishes of Australia, accessed 07 Oct 2014, http://www.fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/2475
  4. ↑ Cara Giaimo, "How the World's Squarest Fish Gets Around", in The New York Times , 15 Apr. 2020.
  5. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Ostracion". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  6. ↑ Nelson, J.S.; Grande, T.C.; Wilson, M.V.H. (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 518–526. doi:10.1002/9781119174844. ISBN   978-1-118-34233-6. LCCN   2015037522. OCLC   951899884. OL   25909650M.
  7. ↑ Christopher Scharpf (21 August 2024). "Order TETRAODONTIFORMES: Families MOLIDAE, BALISTIDAE, MONACANTHIDAE, ARACANIDAE and OSTRACIIDAE". Christopher Scharpf. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 "Spotted Boxfish". Mexico - Fish, Birds, Crabs, Marine Life, Shells and Terrestrial Life. 2015-04-05. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  9. 1 2 3 "hawaiisfishes.com - John Hoover's home page - books, apps & more". www.hawaiisfishes.com. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  10. 1 2 Sutton, Alan (2014-10-29). "White Spotted Boxfish- Facts and Photographs". Seaunseen. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  11. ↑ admin. "Homepage". Monaco Nature Encyclopedia (in Italian). Retrieved 2022-04-18.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.