The boxfishes are a family, Ostraciidae, their scientific name is, "Ostraction Meleagris", of squared, bony fish belonging to the order Tetraodontiformes, closely related to the pufferfishes and filefishes. They come in a variety of different colors, and are notable for the hexagonal or "honeycomb" patterns in their skin and skeletons. They swim in a rowing manner. Fish in the family are known variously as boxfishes, cofferfishes, cowfishes and trunkfishes.

Boxfishes occupy the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans, generally at middle latitudes, although the common or buffalo trunkfish (Lactophrys trigonus) which lives mainly in Florida waters may be found as far north as Cape Cod. The cowfish variety Lactophrys quadricornis can grow to be 50 cm or less in size, but are generally smaller at higher latitudes.

The hexagonal plate-like scales of these fish are fused together into a solid, triangular, box-like carapace, from which the fins and tail protrude. Young boxfishes are more rounded in shape and may exhibit bright colors. Because of their body scale structure, boxfishes are limited to slow movements.

List of genus and species

• Genus Acanthostracion
• Acanthostracion guineensis (Bleeker, 1865).
• Island cowfish, Acanthostracion notacanthus (Bleeker, 1863).
• Honeycomb cowfish, Acanthostracion polygonius Poey, 1876.
• Scrawled cowfish, Acanthostracion quadricornis (Linnaeus, 1758).
• Genus Lactophrys
• Spotted trunkfish, Lactophrys bicaudalis (Linnaeus, 1758).
• Buffalo trunkfish, Lactophrys trigonus (Linnaeus, 1758).
• Smooth trunkfish, Lactophrys triqueter (Linnaeus, 1758).
• Genus Lactoria
• Longhorn cowfish, Lactoria cornuta (Linnaeus, 1758).
• Roundbelly cowfish, Lactoria diaphana (Bloch & Schneider, 1801).
• Thornback cowfish, Lactoria fornasini (Bianconi, 1846).
• Lactoria paschae (Rendahl, 1921).
• Genus Ostracion
• Yellow boxfish, Ostracion cubicus Linnaeus, 1758.
• Bluetail trunkfish, Ostracion cyanurus Rüppell, 1828.
• Ostracion immaculatus Temminck & Schlegel, 1850.
• Whitespotted boxfish, Ostracion meleagris Shaw, 1796.
• Shortnose boxfish, Ostracion nasus Bloch, 1785.
• Horn-nosed boxfish, Ostracion rhinorhynchos Bleeker, 1852.
• Reticulate boxfish, Ostracion solorensis Bleeker, 1853.
• Roughskin trunkfish, Ostracion trachys Randall, 1975.
• Whitley's box, Ostracion whitleyi Fowler, 1931.
• Genus Paracanthostracion
• Paracanthostracion lindsayi (Phillipps, 1932).
• Genus Tetrosomus
• Triangular boxfish, Tetrosomus concatenatus (Bloch, 1785).
• Humpback turretfish, Tetrosomus gibbosus (Linnaeus, 1758).
• Smallspine turretfish, Tetrosomus reipublicae (Ogilby, 1913).
• Tetrosomus stellifer (Bloch & Schneider, 1801).

References

• Zim, Herbert, and Shomemaker, Hurst. Fishes. Golden Press, New York (1955).