Pearl boxfish
| Pearl boxfish | ||||||||||||
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Pearl boxfish ( Lactophrys triqueter ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Lactophrys triqueter | ||||||||||||
| Linnaeus , 1758 |
The pearl boxfish ( Lactophrys triqueter ) is also called the smooth boxfish in German .
It lives in the tropical, western Atlantic , from Bermuda to the coast of northeastern Brazil , in the Caribbean and in the Gulf of Mexico . With the Gulf Stream specimens are drifted to the coast of New England and Canada .
The fish live in small groups or as solitary animals and stay in shallow water to a depth of 25 meters, preferably over coral reefs . They feed on various invertebrates such as crabs , worms , clams , snails , sea squirts, and sponges . In addition, they also eat algae and seaweed . They blow prey hidden in the ground free with a jet of water. Pearl boxfish grow to a length of 30 centimeters.
In the United States , it is a popular ornamental fish for the marine aquarium .
literature
- Hans A. Baensch / Robert A. Patzner: Mergus Sea Water Atlas Volume 6 Non-Perciformes (Non-Perciformes) , Mergus-Verlag, Melle, ISBN 3-88244-116-X
Web links
- Pearl boxfish on Fishbase.org (English)