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1,
/The Conscientious Marine
Aquarist
The Puffers Called Box-, Cowfishes,
family Ostraciidae, part 3
To: part 1,
part 2, part4
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by Bob Fenner |
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The Genus Ostracion: The Spotted Cube,
Ostracion cubicus is a perennial favorite, especially as a
bright yellow with black spots juvenile. It is a large fish in the
wild, attaining some eighteen inches. On a smaller scale, the Black
(female) and Blue (male) Spotted Boxfish, Ostracion meleagris is
often seen as well.
About "Boston Beans": these are
juveniles of various species of cowfishes and boxes, not a specific
designation; they grow up to look like the adults of whatever species
they are.
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Ostracion cubicus Linnaeus 1758, the Yellow
Boxfish. Indo-Pacific, Red Sea, east African coast around South
Africa into the Atlantic. To eighteen inches long in the wild. At
right: a juvenile in Fiji, Below: a juvenile in Raja Ampat, an
adult in the Cooks, and a aged individual in the Red Sea of about
a foot in length. At the bottom an adult of color in Mabul,
Malaysia.
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Bigger PIX:
The images in this table are linked to large (desktop size) copies.
Click on "framed" images to go to the larger size. |
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| Ostracion cyanurus (Ruppell
1828), the Bluetail Trunkfish. Western Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Gulf
of Aden, Africa's eastern coast. Here's a beautiful
male in Egypt's Sharm in the Red Sea. |
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Bigger PIX:
The images in this table are linked to large (desktop size) copies.
Click on "framed" images to go to the larger size. |
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Ostracion immaculatus, Temminck &
Schlegel 1850. Northwestern Pacific: Japan. Closely related to
Ostracion cubicus of the Indo-Pacific.
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No pic
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Ostracion meleagris Shaw 1796, the Blue
(male), Black (female) or Whitespotted Boxfish. Vying with the
common Cowfish, Lactoria cornuta, for most commonly
offered species in the family. Like other (demersal) Boxfish
species, this one needs to be well fed... on the tank bottom, not
the surface or mid-water. Take care with aggressive feeding
tankmates. At right, a male in the Galapagos. Below: A female and
male in captivity, Hawai'i, and a set in N. Sulawesi.
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Ostracion nasus (Bloch 1785), the Shortnose
Boxfish. Western Pacific. To twelve inches.
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No pic
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Ostracion rhinorhynchos Bleeker 1852, the
Horn-nosed Boxfish. Indo-west Pacific. To fourteen inches in
length.
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No pic
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To: part 1,
part 2, part 4
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