Horn boxfish
| Horn boxfish | ||||||||||||
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Horn boxfish |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Acanthostracion quadricornis | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The horn boxfish ( Acanthostracion quadricornis ), also called four-horn boxfish or cowfish , is a 45-centimeter member of the boxfish family .
Appearance
These fish have a yellow body color that turns brown on the back. The area around the sharp, white beak is dark. They only have very small, white, almost transparent pectoral, dorsal and anal fins. There is a small bony process above the very large eyes. The head is angular and has a pair of spines pointing forward. Another pair of spines is located near the caudal fin. The narrow tail has a wide, fanned end. Almost the entire body is covered by prism-shaped, hexagonal, rigid bone plates.
- Fin formula : D 10, A 10
Distribution, habitat and way of life
The horn boxfish occurs in the western Atlantic from New England , the Gulf of Mexico , the Caribbean to Brazil. This species inhabits the seagrass meadows and the seabed near the coast to a depth of 50 meters. It feeds on smaller invertebrates such as crabs and sponges and on aquatic plants. Horned boxfish can use special muscles to produce sounds by vibrating their swim bladders . They are just very slow and bad swimmers.
Reproduction
The males are territorial and do not tolerate any strange male conspecifics next to them. The many eggs are carried away by ocean currents. When they are young, they hide from predators in the seagrass meadows.
use
Occasionally this species is marketed as edible or ornamental fish.
Hazards and protective measures
Since this species is still relatively widespread and no other threats are known, the IUCN lists it as Least Concern .
literature
- The great world empire of the animals Page: 580, 581 Publisher: Planet Media AG, Zug 1992 ISBN 3-8247-8614-1
Individual evidence
- ↑ Horn boxfish on Fishbase.org (English)
Web links
- Horn boxfish on Fishbase.org (English)
- Acanthostracion quadricornis inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017.3. Posted by: Leis, JL, Matsuura, K., Shao, K.-T., Hardy, G., Zapfe, G., Liu, M., Jing, L., Robertson, R. & Tyler, J., 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2018.