Boxfish
box_fish
Spotted Trunkfish
Lactophrys bicaudalis
About
The spotted trunkfish is a slow, boxy reef fish encased in bony armour, its whole body dotted with black spots like a scattering of ink drops. It grows to about 20 cm, occasionally reaching 48 cm.
- Length
- 20 cm · max 48 cm
- Depth
- up to 50 m
How to tell it apart
Several boxfish share this spotted, boxy look, but adult spotted trunkfish have a diagonal row of three white spots just behind the eye, in a spot where you would otherwise expect black ones.
Appearance
Its body is built from fused, hexagonal bony plates that form a rigid, boxy shell, with only the eyes, fins, and tail able to move freely. The fish is white or yellowish, covered in small black spots across the body and tail fin, with a pair of sharp spines set in front of the anal fin.
Habitat
This fish lives on coral reefs with cracks, holes, and overhangs, favouring clear water at depths from about 3 to 50 m. It moves slowly along the bottom, rippling its dorsal and anal fins, and feeds on small animals such as crabs, molluscs, and sea urchins.
Did you know?
Its species name, bicaudalis, means 'two-tailed', supposedly for a pair of spines under the tail, but this fish has no spines there at all; the real spines sit beside the anal fin instead.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
