Ostracion cubicus

Ostraciidae
Yellow Boxfish, Bluespotted Boxfish, Box Fish, Boxy, Cubed Boxfish, Ocellated Boxfish, Polkadot Boxfish, Yellow Trunkfish
  • Ostracion cubicus, Adult, Lord Howe Is, NSW, Photo: Ian Shaw
    Ostracion cubicus, Adult, Lord Howe Is, NSW, Photo: Ian Shaw
  • Ostracion cubicus, WA, Australia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
    Ostracion cubicus, WA, Australia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
  • Ostracion cubicus, Lorde Howe Is, NSW, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
    Ostracion cubicus, Lorde Howe Is, NSW, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
  • Ostracion cubicus, Juvenile. Photo: Ian Shaw
    Ostracion cubicus, Juvenile. Photo: Ian Shaw
  • Ostracion cubicus, Juvenile, Dampier, WA, Photo: Andrew Green
    Ostracion cubicus, Juvenile, Dampier, WA, Photo: Andrew Green
  • Ostracion cubicus, Juvenile. Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
    Ostracion cubicus, Juvenile. Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
  • Ostracion cubicus, Lord Howe Is, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
    Ostracion cubicus, Lord Howe Is, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
  • Ostracion cubicus, NSW, Australia, Photo: Ian Shaw
    Ostracion cubicus, NSW, Australia, Photo: Ian Shaw
Distribution
Temperate Africa, Tropical Indo-Pacific
Description
Juveniles yellow with black spots. Yellow fades to brown with age, with black spots becoming fewer and a honeycomb pattern developing around spots and over face. Large adults blueish with yellow exposed tail base and honeycomb pattern, with central small black spots dorsally.
Information
  • Max Size: 45 cm
  • Sea Temperature Range: 16.2-31.6°C
  • Depth: 1-280m
  • Habitat: Coral Reef
  • Habitat Generalisation Index: 14.5
    Also referred to as the SGI (Species generalisation index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here
Rarity
  • Threats: Exploitation, Habitat degradation
  • IUCN Threat Status: Not Evaluated
  • Occurrence: Frequent (14% of sites)
    Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
  • Abundance: Solitary (1 per transect)
    Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: Ian Shaw
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