Pufferfish and Boxfish Codexery

Lactophrys trigonus

A triangular-bodied boxfish from the Western Atlantic.

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Lactophrys trigonus

Photographer: Caroline Rogers, U.S. Geological Survey · via Wikipedia: Lactophrys trigonus · Public domain

Lactophrys trigonus is a marine fish species in the family Ostraciidae, order Tetraodontiformes.[1] The genus name Lactophrys combines words for "milkcow" and "eyebrow," alluding to the spines above the eyes that resemble cow horns.[2] When observed from the front, the body of this fish is triangular, which is why its species name trigonus translates to "three angles."[2]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassActinopterygii
  4. DivisionTeleostei
  5. OrderTetraodontiformes
  6. FamilyOstraciidae
  7. GenusLactophrys
  8. SpeciesLactophrys trigonus

Named by (Linnaeus, 1758)

Close relatives

Other species of Lactophrys with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Lactophrys trigonus (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 158931 (CC BY 4.0)

Conservation status

Least Concern (LC)

  1. LC▲ this species
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2015

Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category

How big is it?

Size comparison: Lactophrys trigonus and a personA 0.5 m long lactophrys trigonus drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.0.5 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 0.5 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Lactophrys trigonus

Where the lactophrys trigonus has been recorded

Where the lactophrys trigonus has been recorded74 mapped locations from 23,260 GBIF occurrence records; marked places: Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (23,260 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 25 inland records left out (institution coordinates).

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Biology and range

The trunkfish's body is covered in small, faint white spots that are not sharply defined.[3] Chain-like patterns appear on two specific body zones: one on the pectoral area and another midway between the gill openings and the rear of the shell, where dark-edged hexagonal scales are arranged.[3] Adult specimens can grow between 30 and 50 centimeters in length and may attain a weight of 3.3 kilograms.[3] As benthic foragers, these fish consume seagrasses, various crustaceans and mollusks, worms, tunicates, and other small creatures living on the seafloor.[4]

In the Caribbean region, they are commonly eaten by people, and they are occasionally kept in home aquariums.[4]

What the specialist sources record

The World Register of Marine Species lists Lactophrys trigonus (Linnaeus, 1758) as an accepted species in the family Ostraciidae.[1] GBIF holds 23,461 occurrence records for this taxon as of 7 October 2026.[5]

References

  1. World Register of Marine Species, Lactophrys trigonus (AphiaID 158931). CC BY 4.0. marinespecies.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Lactophrys trigonus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Christopher Scharpf, "Order TETRAODONTIFORMES: Families MOLIDAE, BALISTIDAE, MONACANTHIDAE, ARACANIDAE and OSTRACIIDAE", Christopher Scharpf, 21 August 2024 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Lactophrys trigonus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America", Houghton Mifflin Company, 1986, p. 354; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Lactophrys trigonus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Leis, J.L., "Lactophrys trigonus", 2015 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Lactophrys trigonus (taxon key 2408096). CC BY 4.0 (backbone); counts are facts. gbif.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Lactophrys trigonus (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Same family (Ostraciidae)

Acanthostracion guineense Acanthostracion guineenseHoneycomb cowfish Acanthostracion polygoniusIsland cowfish Acanthostracion notacanthus

More in Pufferfish and Boxfish

Lactoria cornutaLactoria diaphanaLactoria fornasiniOstracionOstracion cyanurusOstracion cubicumOstracion immaculatumOstracion meleagrisOstracion rhinorhynchosOstracion trachysOstracion solorenseOstracion whitleyi

Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. To which biological order does the Lactophrys trigonus belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Tetraodontiformes.

From the source: “The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the genus Lactophrys within the family Ostraciidae in the suborder Ostracioidea within the order Tetraodontiformes.”

2. In what year was Lactophrys trigonus first scientifically described?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1758.

From the source: “Lactophrys trigonus was first formally described as Ostracion trigonus in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae with its type locality given as the Western Atlantic.”

3. To which biological family does the Lactophrys trigonus belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Ostraciidae.

From the source: “Lactophrys trigonus, the buffalo trunkfish or trunkfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes.”

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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