Spotted boxfish
Appearance
Spotted boxfish | |
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Species: | O. meleagris
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Binomial name | |
Ostracion meleagris G. Shaw, 1796
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The spotted or white-spotted boxfish (Ostracion meleagris), is a species of boxfish found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is found on reefs at depths of from 1 to 30 metres (3.3 to 98.4 ft). This species grows to a length of 25 centimetres (9.8 in) TL. 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.[1] 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.[2]
References
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Ostracion meleagris". FishBase. October 2012 version.
- ^ Dianne J. Bray, 2011, Black Boxfish, Ostracion meleagris, in Fishes of Australia, accessed 07 Oct 2014, http://www.fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/2475
- ^ Cara Giaimo, "How the World's Squarest Fish Gets Around", in The New York Times, 15 Apr. 2020.
External links
- Photos of Spotted boxfish on Sealife Collection