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: Paracanthostracion
Species (1): P. lindsayi
Name
Paracanthostracion Whitley, 1933
Primary references
Whitley 1933: Rec. Australian Mus., 19, 105.
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.[1]
Taxonomy
Paracanthostracion was first proposed as a genus in 1933 by the British-born Australian ichthyologist Gilbert Percy Whitley with Ostracion lindsayi designated as its type species, and its only species.[2] O. lindsayi was first formally described in 1932 by the New Zealand ichthyologist William J. Phillipps with its type locality given as Otago, New Zealand.[3] This taxon is classified within the family Ostraciidae in the 5th edition of Fishes of the World, which it places in the suborder Ostracioidea within the order Tetraodontiformes.[4]
Etymology
Paracanthostracion prefixes para-, meaning "close to", to the genus name Acanthostracion from which it differs in the shape of its carapace and the distribution of its spines. The specific name honours Phillipps's colleage at the Dominion Museum in Wellington, the curator of technology and taxidermist Charles John Lindsay.[5]
Description
Paraacanthostracion is characterised by having the anterior profile of the head being oblique aith the diameter of its eye being only slightly less than the length of the snout. The space betrween the eyes is clearly concave. The carapace is quadrangular in shape with a poorly developed ridge along the middle of the back. There is a forward pointing spine before eacj eye and large spine in the middle of the back with another arge spine, directed rearwards along the edge of the carapace near the anal fin. The hexagonal plat-like scales that make up the carapace are very rough towards its rear, as well as on the hea. The body is irregularly streaked and spotted with grey and there are spots on the cheeks which show a tendency to merge to form short streaks.[6]
Distribution
Paraacanthostracion is found in the Southwestern Pacific Ocean where it is known only from the waters around New Zealand.[1]
References
Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Paracanthostracion lindsayi". FishBase. June 2024 version.
Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Ostraciidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Paracanthostracion". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 14 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 14 October 2024.
Gilbert P. Whitley (1933). "Studies in ichthyology. No. 7" (PDF). Records of the Australian Museum. 19 (1): 60–112.
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