The Shortnose boxfish (Ostracion nasus) 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.
| Shortnose boxfish | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Tetraodontiformes |
| Family: | Ostraciidae |
| Genus: | Ostracion |
| Species: | O. nasus
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| Binomial name | |
| Ostracion nasus Bloch, 1785
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| Synonyms | |
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Rhynchostracion nasus (Bloch, 1785) | |
Taxonomy
editThe shortnose boxfish was first formally described in 1785 by the German physician and naturalist Marcus Elieser Bloch with its type locality given as the Nile Delta, Egypt, probably erroneously.[2] 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.[3]
Etymology
editThe shortnose 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, nasus means "nose" and is a reference to the short snout .[4]
Description
editThe shortnose boxfish has 9 soft rays supporting both the dorsal and anal fins while the caudal fin has 10 rays, 8 of which are branched. Males have a short blunt, conical protuberance above the mouth and in front of the eyes.[5] The snout has a concave profile.[6] The juveniles and smaller females are pale grey to silvery white on the carapace with scattered, small black spots on the caudal peduncle and base of the caudal fin peduncle and caudal-fin base, with scattered black spots. The males have a white carapce and caudal peduncle which is patterned with irregularly shaped pale yellowish-green blotches. The upper body has a dense covering of black spotsmwhich form a dark reticulated pattern.[5] This species has a maximum published total length of 30 cm (12 in).[6]
Distribution and habitat
editThe shortnose boxfish is found in the Indo-Pacific where it occurs from Sri Lanka east to Fiji, north to the Philippines and south to northwestern Australia.[1] This species is found over soft and rocky substrates at depths between 2 and 80 m (6 ft 7 in and 262 ft 6 in).[5]
References
edit- ^ a b Stiefel, K.M. & Williams, J.T. (2024). "Ostracion nasus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2024: e.T193688A2260683. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Ostracion". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Christopher Scharpf (21 August 2024). "Order TETRAODONTIFORMES: Families MOLIDAE, BALISTIDAE, MONACANTHIDAE, ARACANIDAE and OSTRACIIDAE". Christopher Scharpf. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ a b c Keiichi Matsuura (2022). "Tetraodontiformes". In Phillip C. Heemstra; Elaine Heemstra; David E. Ebert; Wouter Holleman; John E. Randall (eds.). Coastal Fishes of the Western Indian Ocean (PDF). pp. 406–485.
- ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Ostracion nasus". FishBase. June 2024 version.
External links
edit- Photos of Shortnose boxfish on Sealife Collection