Roundbelly Cowfish, Lactoria diaphana (Bloch & Schneider 1801)
Other Names: Diaphanous Box-fish, Diaphanous Cowfish, Round-belly Cowfish, Thorny-back Cowfish, Translucent Boxfish, Transparent Boxfish
A Roundbelly Cowfish, Lactoria diaphana, in Moreton Bay, Queensland. Source: Julian K. Finn / Museums Victoria. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial
Summary:
A pale greenish-grey boxfish with a fine honeycomb reticulated pattern and brown blotches. Juveniles are semi-transparent. The carapace of adults has a short spine projecting from above each eye, a broadly rounded lower surface with a posteriorly-directed spine on each side just before the tail base, and a single small spine on the middle of the back.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2019, Lactoria diaphana in Fishes of Australia, accessed 04 Oct 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/838
Roundbelly Cowfish, Lactoria diaphana (Bloch & Schneider 1801)
More Info
Distribution |
Northwest Shelf, Western Australia, and the northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, to Mallacoota, Victoria, and eastern Tasmania; also at Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere, the species occurs in the tropical, Indo-west-central Pacific. Inhabits coastal and outer reefs, in depths to 50 m. The semi-transparent juveniles are pelagic in hear surface waters. |
Features |
Dorsal fin 9; Anal fin 9: Pectoral fin 10-11; Caudal fin 10. Carapace (adults) with a short spine extending from upper edge of each eye; a posteriorly-directed spine on lower rear edge of each side of the carapace just before caudal peduncle, and a single small spine on the middle of the back; dorsal snout profile steep, concave; ventral surface broadly rounded; caudal fin slightly rounded. |
Feeding |
Feeds on benthic invertebrates. |
Biology |
Large pelagic juveniles may reach a length of 10 cm, and the species may complete its life cycle in the open sea. |
Etymology |
The specific name is from the Latin diaphanus (= transparent). |
Species Citation |
Ostracion diaphanus Bloch & Schneider 1801, Systema Ichthyologiae: 501. Type locality unknown. |
Author |
Bray, D.J. 2019 |
Resources |
Roundbelly Cowfish, Lactoria diaphana (Bloch & Schneider 1801)
References
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Bloch, M.E. & Schneider, J.G. 1801. Systema Ichthyologiae Iconibus ex Illustratum. Berlin 584 pp. 110 pls.
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