Family Ostraciidae - Boxfishes
  Order
:
  Class
:
Actinopterygii
No. in FishBase
:
Genera : 8 | Species : 25 Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes
  Environment
:
Fresh : No | Brackish : No | Marine : Yes
  Division
:
Marine
  Aquarium
:
many
  First Fossil Record
:
lower   Tertiary   lower   Eocene
Ref..   Berg, L.S. 1958
  Remark
:
Since Nelson (1994: Ref. 7463), the subfamily Aracaninae (6 genera, 13 species) has been removed from the Ostraciidae and ressurected to family level (Ref. 54719). The following information concerns the Ostraciidae s.l. and must be updated. Distribution: Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. A bony carapace enclosing body. Pelvic skeleton absent. Spinous dorsal lacking. Dorsal fin rays 9-13. Anal fin rays 9-13. Non-protrusible upper jaw. Vertebrae usually 18. Some species of trunkfishes secrete ostracitoxin, poisonous to other fishes and, to some extent, even to trunkfishes. Feed on small sessile invertebrates and on algae. They are territorial and haremic, spawning pelagic eggs at dusk. Not recommended for aquaria. Other common names in use are cowfishes and trunkfishes. About 60 cm maximum length.
  Etymology
:
Greek, ostrakon = shell
  Reproductive guild
:
nonguarders
  Typical activity level
:
  Main Ref
:
  Coordinator
:
  Deep Fin Classification
:
Osteichthyes | Actinopterygii | Actinopteri | Neopterygii | Teleostei | Osteoglossocephalai | Clupeocephala | Euteleosteomorpha | Neoteleostei | Eurypterygia | Ctenosquamata | Acanthomorphata | Euacanthomorphacea | Percomorphaceae | Percomorpharia | Tetraodontiformes | Ostracioidei | Ostraciidae

Show species images | Show valid names | Nominal species list | Identification keys | CAS specimen photos | References

 
Ref.
[ e.g. 9948]
Glossary
[ e.g. cephalopods]


Species/Synonymy list for the family Ostraciidae as currently in FishBase

Important recommendation:

The list below must not be used as an authority reference synonymy list like those found in scientific published revisions, which must be the source to be used and cited eventually when they exist.

Rather, it reflects the current content of FishBase, and the progress with respect to synchronization with the Catalog of Fishes. However, we think it can be useful for users to assess the quality of information in FishBase, to start new work on the family, or to cross-check with other lists.

But we appreciate to be cited in publications when this list has been of any working value. In particular, for published scientific, we suggest then to cite it in the Material and Method section as a useful tool to conduct the research, but again, not as a taxonomic or nomenclatural authority reference.

Unless it is explicitly precised, the list is not complete, please search all original names published for the family in the Catalog of Fishes (genera, species), including those with uncertain or unknown status, that are not included in FishBase when they are not attached to a valid species.

This list uses some data from Catalog of Fishes (not shown but used to sort names).

In the column CofF, the digit indicates the status of synchronization with CofF: 0: Not checked; 1: Same status;   2: Different status;   3: Other combination;   4: Synonym in CofF;   5: Species/Subspecies issue;   6: Synonym of another species in CofF;   7: Not in CofF;   8: Should not be in CofF. The CofF version currently used is the one published on 23-07-2014 (Ref. 97102).

The list ordered as follows:

Please send comments and corrections if you detect errors or missing names.

Show all | Show only accepted name | Show only accepted and original names
Scientifc name Status Senior/Junior synonym Combination CofF
Ostracion cubicus Linnaeus, 1758
acceptedseniororiginal2
! Ostacion cubicus Linnaeus, 1758
synonymseniororiginal
! Ostracion cubicua Linnaeus, 1758
synonymseniororiginal
! Ostracion cubicum Linnaeus, 1758
synonymseniororiginal
Ostracion tuberculatus Linnaeus, 1758
synonymjuniororiginal2
Ostracion argus Rüppell, 1828
synonymjuniororiginal2
acceptedseniororiginal2
synonymseniorchange in rank
Ostracion lentiginosus Bloch & Schneider, 1801
synonymjuniororiginal2
Ostracion punctatus Bloch & Schneider, 1801
synonymjuniororiginal2
! Ostracium sebae Bleeker, 1851
synonymjuniororiginal2
Ostracion sebae Bleeker, 1851
synonymjuniororiginal
Ostracion camurum Jenkins, 1901
synonymjuniororiginal2
Ostracion clippertonense Snodgrass & Heller, 1905
synonymjuniororiginal2
Ostracion cyanurus Rüppell, 1828
acceptedseniororiginal2
Ostracion immaculatus Temminck & Schlegel, 1850
acceptedseniororiginal2
acceptedseniororiginal2
synonymseniornew
! Ostracion rhinorhynchus Bleeker, 1851
synonymseniororiginal
! Ostracion rhynorhyncus Bleeker, 1851
synonymseniororiginal
synonymseniornew
synonymseniororiginal
Rhynchostracion nasus (non Bloch, 1785)
misappliedmisappliednew
Ostracion solorensis Bleeker, 1853
acceptedseniororiginal2
Ostracion whitleyi Fowler, 1931
acceptedseniororiginal2
Ostracion ornatus Hollard, 1857
synonymjuniororiginal2
Ostracion trachys Randall, 1975
acceptedseniororiginal2
Lactophrys trigonus (Linnaeus, 1758)
acceptedseniornew
Ostracion trigonus Linnaeus, 1758
synonymseniororiginal2
synonymjuniororiginal2
synonymjuniororiginal2
synonymjuniororiginal
Lactophrys bicaudalis (Linnaeus, 1758)
acceptedseniornew
Ostracion bicaudalis Linnaeus, 1758
synonymseniororiginal2
Rhinesomus bicaudalis (Linnaeus, 1758)
synonymseniornew
! Lactyphrys bicaudalis (Linnaeus, 1758)
synonymseniornew
! Ostracion bicaudale Linnaeus, 1758
synonymseniororiginal
! Ostracium bicaudale Linnaeus, 1758
synonymseniororiginal
Lactophrys triqueter (Linnaeus, 1758)
acceptedseniornew
Ostracion triqueter Linnaeus, 1758
synonymseniororiginal2
Rhinesomus triqueter (Linnaeus, 1758)
synonymseniornew
Tetrosomus gibbosus (Linnaeus, 1758)
acceptedseniornew
Ostracion gibbosus Linnaeus, 1758
synonymseniororiginal2
Rhinesomus gibbosus (Linnaeus, 1758)
synonymseniornew
! Tertrosomus gibbosus (Linnaeus, 1758)
synonymseniornew
! Tetrasoma gibbosus (Linnaeus, 1758)
synonymseniornew
! Tetrasomus gibbosus (Linnaeus, 1758)
synonymseniornew
! Tetrosomus gibosus (Linnaeus, 1758)
synonymseniornew
Ostracion turritus Forsskål, 1775
synonymjuniororiginal2
acceptedseniornew
synonymseniororiginal2
! Rhinosomus concatenatus (Bloch, 1785)
synonymseniornew
! Tetrasomus concatenatus (Bloch, 1785)
synonymseniornew
synonymjuniororiginal2
Tetrosomus tritropis (Snyder, 1911)
synonymjuniornew
Ostracion triqueter (non Linnaeus, 1758)
misappliedmisappliedoriginal
Tetrosomus stellifer (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
acceptedseniornew
Ostracion stellifer Bloch & Schneider, 1801
synonymseniororiginal2
Tetrosomus reipublicae (Whitley, 1930)
acceptedseniornew
Triorus reipublicae Whitley, 1930
synonymseniororiginal2
ambiguousotheroriginal2
Rhinesomus reipublicae (Ogilby, 1913)
ambiguousothernew
Tetrosomus reipublicae (Ogilby, 1913)
ambiguousothernew
acceptedseniornew
Ostracion quadricornis Linnaeus, 1758
synonymseniororiginal2
Lactophrys quadricornis (Linnaeus, 1758)
synonymseniornew
Ostracion tricornis Linnaeus, 1758
synonymjuniororiginal2
Acanthostracion tricornis (Linnaeus, 1758)
synonymjuniornew
Lactophrys tricornis (Linnaeus, 1758)
synonymjuniornew
acceptedseniornew
Ostracion notacanthus Bleeker, 1863
synonymseniororiginal2
Lactophrys notacanthus (Bleeker, 1863)
synonymseniornew
synonymseniorchange in rank
acceptedseniornew
Ostracion guineensis Bleeker, 1865
synonymseniororiginal2
Lactophrys guineensis (Bleeker, 1865)
synonymseniornew
Ostracion quadricornis (non Linnaeus, 1758)
misappliedmisappliedoriginal
Ostracion tricornis (non Linnaeus, 1758)
misappliedmisappliedoriginal
acceptedseniororiginal2
synonymseniornew
synonymseniororiginal
synonymseniororiginal
! Lactophrys polygonius (Poey, 1876)
synonymseniornew
Lactophrys saxatilis Mowbray, 1931
synonymjuniororiginal2
Lactophrys tricornis (non Linnaeus, 1758)
misappliedmisappliednew
Lactoria cornuta (Linnaeus, 1758)
acceptedseniornew
Ostracion cornutus Linnaeus, 1758
synonymseniororiginal2
! Lactoria cornutus (Linnaeus, 1758)
synonymseniornew
Lactoria diaphana (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
acceptedseniornew
! Ostracion diaphanus Bloch & Schneider, 1801
synonymseniororiginal2
Ostracion diaphanum Bloch & Schneider, 1801
synonymseniororiginal
! Lactoria diaphanus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
synonymseniornew
! Lactoria diaphinus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
synonymseniornew
Ostracion brevicornis Temminck & Schlegel, 1850
synonymjuniororiginal2
Lactoria schlemmeri Jordan & Snyder, 1904
synonymjuniororiginal2
Lactoria fornasini (Bianconi, 1846)
acceptedseniornew
Ostracion fornasini Bianconi, 1846
synonymseniororiginal2
ambiguousquestionableoriginal2
Lactoria pentacanthus (Bleeker, 1857)
ambiguousquestionablenew
Lactoria galeodon Jenkins, 1903
synonymjuniororiginal2
Lactoria fuscomaculata von Bonde, 1923
synonymjuniororiginal2
Lactoria paschae (Rendahl, 1921)
acceptedseniornew
Ostracion paschae Rendahl, 1921
synonymseniororiginal2
Paracanthostracion lindsayi (Phillipps, 1932)
acceptedseniornew
Ostracion lindsayi Phillipps, 1932
synonymseniororiginal2
Rhynchostracion nasus (Bloch, 1785)
acceptedseniornew
Ostracion nasus Bloch, 1785
synonymseniororiginal1
! Phynchostracion nasus (Bloch, 1785)
synonymseniornew
! Ryncostracion nasus (Bloch, 1785)
synonymseniornew
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