Yellow boxfish

Yellow boxfish ( Ostracion cubicus )

The Yellow-brown boxfish ( Ostracion cubicus ) lives in the Red Sea and tropical Indo-Pacific from East Africa to the Ryukyu Islands, Hawaii, Tuamotu and Lord Howe Island. It prefers sheltered lagoons and outer reefs, at depths ranging from one to 35 meters. Young fish often hide in ästigen Acropora corals.

The solitary fish feed on algae and living in them small pets, and of bottom-dwelling invertebrates, such as molluscs, sponges, polychaetes, crustaceans, molluscs and foraminifera. Larger specimens will also eat small fish.

Features

A characteristic feature of the species is the cubic form of the body. The fish are yellow-brown, bluish to greenish with some irregular bruises. The polygonal edges of the tank forming bone plates are issued yellow. Juveniles are yellow with a pattern of black dots. Later they are mustard -colored to greenish. Yellow-brown suitcase fish are 45 to 50 inches long. The population in the Red Sea differs in color from the Indo-Pacific shape and analogous to the Japanese boxfish ( Ostracion immaculatus ), as a separate species, Ostracion described argus. The species was not generally recognized.

Fins formula: Dorsal 8-9, Anal 9, caudal 10, PECT. 9-10.

Adolescent

Mature