Aracana aurita

Striped cowfish
Illustration from 1904's Kunstformen der Natur
A specimen at the California Academy of Sciences
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Tetraodontiformes
Family: Aracanidae
Genus: Aracana
Species: A. aurita
Binomial name
Aracana aurita
(G. Shaw, 1798)

Aracana aurita, striped cowfish, Shaw's cowfish, striped boxfish, or Shaw's boxfish is a species of boxfish native to the Eastern Indian Ocean. The species was first described by George Shaw in 1798.[1] It is carnivorous and exposes prey in the benthic zone by blowing a jet of water onto sediment.[2]

Morphology

The striped cowfish is larger than its close cousin the ornate cowfish, with a maximum length of 20 cm.[3] The species is sexually dimorphic. Females and juveniles are pale orange to brown with irregular brown and white lines, while males bright orange with blue lines and spots.[2]

The fish's body is encased in a rigid box-like carapace made of large bony plates.[2] It has three curved spines on top, one on the mid side and three along the bottom.

References

  1. ↑ "Aracana aurita", FishBase
  2. 1 2 3 Bray, Dianne. "Shaw's Cowfish, Aracana aurita". Fishes of Australia. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  3. ↑ "Aracana aurita", Encyclopedia of Life


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