Spotted Trunkfish, Lactophyrus Bicaudalis
Family: Box Fish, Ostraciidae.
Distribution: Occasional to Uncommon, Florida Cayes, Bahamas, Caribbean, south to Brazil 6-12 inches max 16".
Caught by accident when fishing, and returned to the sea.
The Spotted Trunkfish is found on reefs throughout the Caribbean and the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. The species is named from the black dots that decorate its white or yellow-golden body. It is popularly known as box-fish or cow-fish in various Caribbean nations. The name Boxfish derives from their hard exterior shell, which is made up of hexagonal plate-like scales fused together to form a solid, triangular, or box-like carapace. This is where the eyes, snout, fins, and tail protrude. The body and tailfin of the spotted trunkfish are white or yellowish with a consistent pattern of many black dots.
Because of its heavy armoured scales, the spotted trunkfish can only move slowly, rippling its dorsal and anal fins and softly thumping its pectoral fins. If quicker movement is necessary, the tail fin can also be used for propulsion. It is a benthic species that feeds on or near the seafloor. Crabs, shrimp, mollusks, sea urchins, starfish, brittle stars, sea cucumbers, tunicates, and seagrasses are among its favorite foods. When touched, the spotted trunkfish, like other trunkfish, secretes a colorless toxin from glands on its skin. Because the toxin is only hazardous when swallowed, divers face no immediate threat. Predators as huge as nurse sharks, on the other hand, can perish as a result of eating a trunkfish.
Photograph by Marty Casado
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