Whitespotted boxfish (Ostracion meleagris)

Scientific name: Ostracion meleagris Shaw, 1796

The Whitespotted boxfish (Ostracion meleagris) is a marine fish of the family Ostraciidae.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 9. Juveniles and females brown or green with white spots; large males with orange bands and spots on side of body. Caudal fin rays 10. Sexually dimorphic.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Ostracion meleagris
Family: Ostraciidae (Boxfishes)
Order: Tetraodontiformes (Puffers and Filefishes)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 25.0
Depth range: 1–30 m (3–98 ft)
Environment: Marine; reef-associated; depth range 1 - 30 m
Climate: Tropical
Distribution: Indo-Pacific and Eastern Pacific: East Africa to the Mexico, north to southern Japan and the Hawaiian Islands, south to New Caledonia and the Tuamoto Islands. The subspecies Ostracion meleagris camurum is found in the Hawaiian Islands and Ostracion meleagris clippertonense in the Eastern Pacific. Species replaced by Ostracion cyanurus in Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Venomous
Uses: Fisheries: subsistence fisheries; aquarium: commercial
Resilience: High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Fec assumed to be > 10,000)