Ostracion cubicus (Ostracion tuberculatus), Photo: Michael Lahanas
Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Superclassis/Classis: Actinopterygii
Classis/Subclassis: Actinopteri
Subclassis/Infraclassis: Neopterygii
Infraclassis: Teleostei
Megacohors: Osteoglossocephalai
Supercohors: Clupeocephala
Cohors: Euteleosteomorpha
Subcohors: Neoteleostei
Infracohors: Eurypterygia
Sectio: Ctenosquamata
Subsectio: Acanthomorphata
Divisio/Superordo: Acanthopterygii
Subdivisio: Percomorphaceae
Series: Eupercaria
Ordo: Tetraodontiformes
Familia: Ostraciidae
Subfamilia: Ostraciinae
Genus: Ostracion
Species: Ostracion cubicus
Name
Ostracion cubicus Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms
Ostracion tuberculatus Linnaeus, 1758
References
Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis, Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Holmiæ: impensis direct. Laurentii Salvii. i–ii, 1–824 pp DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.542: 332. Open access Reference page.
Ostracion cubicus in the World Register of Marine Species
Ostracion cubicus in Catalog of Fishes, Eschmeyer, W.N., Fricke, R. & van der Laan, R. (eds.) 2024. Catalog of Fishes electronic version.
Vernacular names
Afrikaans: Koffervis
català: Ostracion cubicus
Deutsch: Gelbbrauner Kofferfisch
ދިވެހިބަސް: ގޮނު
English: Yellow boxfish
فارسی: جعبهماهی زرد
suomi: Täplälosserokala
français: Poisson coffre jaune
magyar: Sárga bőröndhal
italiano: Pesce scatola giallo
русский: Кузовок-кубик
svenska: Gul koffertfisk
ไทย: ปลาปักเป้ากล่องเหลืองลายจุดดำ
中文: 粒突箱鲀
The yellow boxfish (Ostracion cubicum) 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.[2]
Taxonomy
The yellow boxfish was first formally described by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae published in 1758 with its type locality given as India.[3] This species is the type species of the genus Ostracion,[4] which the 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies within the family Ostraciidae in the suborder Ostracioidea within the order Tetraodontiformes.[5]
Etymology
The yellow boxfish is the type species of 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, cubicum means "cubic" and is a reference to the box-like shape of this fish.[6]
Description
The yellow boxfish reaches a maximum length of 45 centimetres (18 in). As the name suggests, it is box-shaped. Boxfish are also known for their armored and rigid body which in most cases would inhibit locomotion. This disadvantage is offset by the boxfish's carapace shape which is much more advantageous for its adapted style of swimming, known as ostraciiform locomotion.[7] When juvenile, it is bright yellow in color. As it ages, the brightness fades and very old specimens have blue-grey to black coloration with faded yellow.
Distribution and habitat
The yellow boxfish has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution which extends from the Red Sea and the eastern coast of Africa as far south as South Africa east to Hawaii, north to Japan and south to northern New Zealand.[1] It has been recorded in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, probably having travelled through the Suez Canal.[8] This species is found at depths between 1 and 75 m (3 ft 3 in and 246 ft 1 in) on sheltered coastal and offshore coral reefs and in areas of flat seabed.[1]
Biology
The yellow boxfish's diet consists mainly of marine algae, but it may also feed on worms, sponges, crustaceans, molluscs, and small fish.[9]
When stressed or injured it releases the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin (TTX) from its skin, which may prove lethal to fish in surrounding waters.[10] The bright yellow color and black spots are a form of warning coloration (aposematism) to any potential predators.[11]
Yellow boxfish are solitary animals. Breeding occurs during the spring, in small groups that consist of 1 male and 2–4 females.[12]
Mercedes-Benz
In 2006, Mercedes-Benz unveiled its Bionic concept car, which was inspired by the shape of the yellow boxfish.[13] It was assumed that due to the extreme agility with which boxfish maneuver, that their shape was aerodynamic and self-stabilizing. However, analysis by scientists suggests that boxfish agility is instead due to the combination of an aerodynamically unstable body and the manner in which the fish use their fins for movement.[14]
Yellow boxfish being sold in a restaurant in Jakarta
References
Stiefel, K.M. & Williams, J.T. (2024). "Ostracion cubicum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2024: e.T193777A2275465. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
Atlas of Exotic Fishes in the Mediterranean Sea (Ostracion cubicus). 2nd Edition. 2021. 366p. CIESM Publishers, Paris, Monaco.https://ciesm.org/atlas/fishes_2nd_edition/Ostracion_cubicus.pdf
Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Ostracion". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Ostraciidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 11 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 11 October 2024.
Santini, Francesco (2013). "A multilocus molecular phylogeny of boxfishes (Aracanidae, Ostraciidae; Tetraodontiformes)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 66 (1). Elsevier: 153–160. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2012.09.022. PMID 23036494.
Bariche, Michel (2011). "First record of the cube boxfish Ostracion cubicus (Ostraciidae) and additional records of Champsodon vorax (Champsodontidae) from the Mediterranean". Aqua. 17: 181–184.
Lougher, Tristan (2006). What Fish?: A Buyer's Guide to Marine Fish. Interpet Publishing. p. 182. ISBN 978-0-7641-3256-8. "What does it eat? In the wild, mainly marine algae, worms, crustaceans, molluscs, and small fish."
Nagashima, Y., Ohta, A., Yin, X., Ishizaki, S., Matsumoto, T., Doi, H. and Ishibashi, T. (2018). Difference in Uptake of Tetrodotoxin and Saxitoxins into Liver Tissue Slices among Pufferfish, Boxfish and Porcupinefish. Marine Drugs, 16(1), p.17.
Kalmanzon, E., Zlotkin, E., & Aknin-Herrmann, R. (1999). Protein-Surfactant interactions in the defensive skin secretion of the Red Sea trunkfish Ostracion cubicus Marine Biology, 135 (1), 141-146 DOI: 10.1007/s002270050611
* Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Ostracion cubicus". FishBase. November 2006 version.
Phenix, M. Mercedes' fish-inspired car. CNN Technology. March 15, 2007.
Buehler, Jake (11 March 2015). "A Real Drag: Mercedes-Benz modeled a car on the boxfish. Only it completely misunderstood the boxfish". Slate. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
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