Rahul Sharma (Editor)

Longhorn cowfish

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Genus
  
Lactoria

Higher classification
  
Lactoria

Rank
  
Species

Family
  
Ostraciidae

Scientific name
  
Lactoria cornuta

Phylum
  
Chordata

Order
  
Tetraodontiformes

Longhorn cowfish National Aquarium Longhorn Cowfish

Similar
  
Lactoria, Ostraciidae, Yellow boxfish, Ostracion, Lactoria fornasini

Longhorn cowfish curious creatures


The longhorn cowfish, Lactoria cornuta, also called the horned boxfish, is a variety of boxfish from the family Ostraciidae, recognizable by its long horns that protrude from the front of its head, rather like those of a cow or bull. They are a resident of the Indo-Pacific region and can grow up to 50 centimetres (20 inches) long. While badly suited to the home aquarium, the cowfish is becoming increasingly popular as a pet.

Contents

Longhorn cowfish httpswwwpetsolutionscomimagesProducts14290

Adults are reef fish, often solitary and territorial, and live around sand or rubble bottom up to a depth of 50 m. They are omnivorous, feeding upon benthic algae, various microorganisms, and foraminiferans that it strains from sediments, sponges, polychaete worms from sand flats, mollusks, small crustaceans, and small fishes, able to feed on benthic invertebrates by blowing jets of water into the sandy substrate.

Longhorn cowfish Longhorn Cowfish Lactoria cornuta for Sale Online PetSolutions

Billy the longhorn cowfish


Habitat

Longhorn cowfish Oceans411 Longhorn Cowfish

Its primary habitat is coral reefs in lagoons, on reef flats, and on protected seaward reefs. Juveniles associate with Acropora corals. Depth range is 3.3–148 ft (1–45 m, perhaps up to 100 m).

Range

Longhorn cowfish Longhorn Cowfishes Lactoria cornuta MarineBioorg

Red Sea and East Africa eastward through Indonesia to Marquesas, northward to southern Japan. Including Tuamotus, southern Korea, north to the Ryukyu Islands of southern Japan, south to Australia and Lord Howe Island, and off southern Africa in the Atlantic. Tropical and subtropical waters.

Also, found in Blue Planet aquarium Scarborough and Chester.

Physiology

There is no known sexual dimorphism, so both male and female display a yellow to olive base color, which is decorated with white or bluish spots. Paired courtship just before or after sunset. Eggs and larvae are pelagic.

One distinction from other fish is the lack of a gill cover, which is replaced by a small slit or hole. The hexagonal plate-like scales of these fish are fused together into a solid, triangular, box-like carapace, from which the fins and tail protrude. Their unique method of swimming, called ostraciform swimming, causes them to look as if they are hovering. They have no pelvic skeleton, so they lack pelvic fins. They are such slow swimmers cowfish are easily caught by hand, making a grunting noise when captured. This is the most well-known cowfish species in the aquarium trade.

Defense

If severely stressed, this species may be able to exude deadly toxin, ostracitoxin, an ichthyotoxic, hemolytic, heat-stable, non-dialyzable, non-protein poison in the mucous secretions of their skin. It is apparently unique among known fish poisons; it is toxic to boxfish and resembles red tide and sea cucumber toxins in general properties.

References

Longhorn cowfish Wikipedia