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.
| Acanthostracion guineense | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Tetraodontiformes |
| Family: | Ostraciidae |
| Genus: | Acanthostracion |
| Species: | A. guineense
|
| Binomial name | |
| Acanthostracion guineense (Bleeker, 1865
| |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Taxonomy
editAcanthostracion guineense was first formally described as Ostracion guineense in 1865 by the Dutch physician, herpetologist and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker,[3] with its type locality giben as "Guinea".[4] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the genus Acanthostracion in the within the family Ostraciidae in the suborder Ostracioidea within the order Tetraodontiformes.[5]
Etymology
editAcanthostracion guineense is classified within the genus Acanthostracion, this name combines acanthus, which means "spine" or "thorn", with ostracion. Bleeker originally proposed this taxon as a subgenus of the genus Ostracion The Specific name means "of Guinea", it is sometimes written as giuneensis but the genus name is neuter so guineense is correct.[6][3]
Description
editAcanthostracion guineense has a maximum published total length of 18 cm (7.1 in).[2]
Distribution and habitat
editAcanthostracion guineense is found in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean along the coast of Western Africa between Mauritania and Angola. It occurs at depths between 0 and 200 m (0 and 656 ft) on the continental shelf.[1]
Conservation status
editAcanthostracion guineense is classified as data deficient by the IUCN, it is common in some parts of its range but there is very little data on population, life history or ecology.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c Tighe, K. (2015). "Acanthostracion guineensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T193767A2274082. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T193767A2274082.en. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Acanthostracion guineense". FishBase. June 2024 version.
- ^ a b Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Acanthostracion". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ^ Pieter Bleeker (1865). "Notice sur les Ostracions, confondus sous le nom d'Ostracion quadricornis L. et description des Ostracion notacanthus et guineënsis". Nederlandsch Tijdschrift voor de Dierkunde. 2: 298–305.
- ^ 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 3 October 2024.