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Shortnose Boxfish
Ostracion nasus
The Shortnose boxfish (Ostracion nasus) is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. This species is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
From the article Shortnose boxfish on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
The shortnose boxfish has 9 soft rays supporting both the dorsal and anal fins while the caudal fin has 10 rays, 8 of which are branched. Both sexes have a short, fleshy protuberance that overhangs the lips, which is thicker and wider in males. Juveniles are typically white-to-beige with large, uniform spots, while adults are typically tan with large, irregular, brown spots mostly centered on the dorsal side. This species has a maximum published total length of 30 cm (12 in).
Range & habitat
The shortnose boxfish is found in the Indo-Pacific where it occurs from Sri Lanka east to Fiji, north to the Philippines and south to northwestern Australia. This species is found over soft and rocky substrates at depths between 2 and 80 m (6 ft 7 in and 262 ft 6 in).
Wikipedia: “Distribution and habitat”
In human culture
The shortnose boxfish is classified in the genus Ostracion, this name means "little box" and is an allusion to the shape of the body of its type species, O. cubicum. The specific name, nasus means "nose" and is a reference to the short snout.
Wikipedia: “Etymology”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Ostracion nasus in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 1316535.