Island cowfish (Acanthostracion notacanthus)
Source-cited species reference: taxonomy from WoRMS, biology from FishBase, occurrence map from GBIF, conservation from IUCN Red List, description from Wikipedia.
The island cowfish (Acanthostracion notacanthus), also known as the hogfish, bottlefish boxfish or island boxfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the cowfishes. This fish is found around the islands of the mid-Atlantic Ocean and has been recorded from Western Africa.
- Scientific name
- Acanthostracion notacanthus
- Authority
- (Bleeker, 1863)
- Family
- Ostraciidae
- Order
- Tetraodontiformes
- Maximum length
- 50 cm
- Depth range
- 3–25 m
- Habitat zone
- demersal
- Iucn red list
- Data Deficient
- Gbif occurrence records
- 51
Classification (WoRMS)
Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Teleostei · Order: Tetraodontiformes · Family: Ostraciidae · Genus: Acanthostracion.
Accepted name: Acanthostracion notacanthus · Authority: (Bleeker, 1863) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 127410.
Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Lactophrys notacanthus (Bleeker, 1863); Ostracion notacanthus Bleeker, 1863; Ostracion quadricornis notacanthus Bleeker, 1863.
Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=127410 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Biology and life history (FishBase)
Measured values published by FishBase for Acanthostracion notacanthus. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.
Maximum length: 50 cm · Depth range: 3–25 m · Habitat zone: demersal · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 40 of 100 · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.
FishBase notes: Found over rocks, rubble and sand (Ref. 5288), mainly around islands (Ref. 11227).
Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 23370) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Acanthostracion-notacanthus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)
51 georeferenced occurrence records for Acanthostracion notacanthus are published through GBIF from 8 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 9 distinct locations from a sample of 51 records, omitting 4 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.
Most records by country or area: Sao Tome and Principe (17); Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (16); Togo (6); Benin (5); Ghana (2); Mexico (2); Sierra Leone (2); Egypt (1).
Marine regions with a valid WoRMS distribution record: European waters (ERMS scope); Azores Exclusive Economic Zone.
Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2408193) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2408193&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=127410 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Conservation status (IUCN Red List)
The IUCN Red List assesses Acanthostracion notacanthus (Bleeker, 1863) as Data Deficient (code DD). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.
Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 193768) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/193768/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2408193) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2408193/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Description and natural history (Wikipedia)
The island cowfish was first formally described in 1863 as Ostracion notacanthus by the Dutch physician, herpetologist and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker, with its type locality given as Saint Helena. The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the genus Acanthostracion in the within the family Ostraciidae in the suborder Ostracioidea within the order Tetraodontiformes.
Acanthostracion nothacanthus is classified within the genus Acanthostracion, this name combines acanthus, which means "spine" or "thorn", with ostracion. Bleeker originally proposed this taxon as a subgenus of the genus Ostracion The Specific name, nothacanthus, combines notos, which means "back" with acanthos, meaning "spine" or "thorn", a reference to the spine-like projection on the third plate-like scale of the carapce from the origin of the dorsal fin.
The island cowfish has 10 soft rays in both the dorsal and anal fin and there is a spine on the carapace to the front of the dorsal fin, near the middle of the back. The carapace is closed at its rear end and has no ventral ridge with only poorly developed lateral ridges. There are spines in front of the eyes. The overall colour is yellowish with each plate-like scale of the carapace, which covers most of the body, having an frequently incomplete dark margin which may be rounded or polygonal. The island cowfish has a maximum published total length of 50 cm.
The island cowfish is found around some of the islands in the mid-Atlantic Ocean, the Azores, Saint Helena and Ascension Island. It is also found off Western Africa where it has been recorded from Ghana, Angola and São Tomé. It is found at depths between 3 and 25 m over rocks, rubble and sand, and has been recorded on shallow reefs.
Source: Wikipedia: Island cowfish — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_cowfish (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.
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