Black-spotted Boxfish
Ostracion cubicum
- Usual depth1–24 m
- Water temperature16–30 °C
- Best monthsApril and August
- How commonOccasional
About this species
The yellow boxfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. This species is found in reefs throughout the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean as well as the southeastern Atlantic Ocean, although since 2011 it has also been occasionally recorded in the Levantine waters of the Mediterranean Sea which it likely entered via the Suez Canal. The species is present in the aquarium trade. They are known for their cuboid body shape, bright yellow and black spotted coloration, and the secretion of a toxic mucus when threatened.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Yellow boxfish”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
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Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 9 records
- February: 12 records
- March: 12 records
- April: 27 records
- May: 18 records
- June: 16 records
- July: 23 records
- August: 39 records
- September: 13 records
- October: 17 records
- November: 10 records
- December: 8 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 1–24 m · Deepest record: 270 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 16–30 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Black-spotted Boxfish, bluespotted boxfish, cube trunkfish, Yellow boxfish
Names in 2 more languages
- French
- Coffre à points bleus, Poisson coffre-cornu, Poulet de la mer, Poisson-coffre jaune
- Japanese
- Minamihakofugu, ミナミハコフグ
Other scientific names: Ostacion cubicus, Ostracion argus, Ostracion cubicua, Ostracion cubicus, Ostracion tuberculatus
Similar species
- Spotted boxfish
Ostracion meleagris
- Shortnose boxfish
Ostracion nasus
- horn-nosed boxfish
Ostracion rhinorhynchos
- Reticulate Boxfish
Ostracion solorense
- Longhorn cowfish
Lactoria cornuta
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 2,156 open-data records from 1758 to 2023.
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