Smooth trunkfish (Lactophrys triqueter)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Teleostei · Order: Tetraodontiformes · Family: Ostraciidae · Genus: Lactophrys.

Accepted name: Lactophrys triqueter · Authority: (Linnaeus, 1758) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 158932.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Ostracion triqueter Linnaeus, 1758; Rhinesomus triqueter (Linnaeus, 1758).

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=158932 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

Measured values published by FishBase for Lactophrys triqueter. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 47 cm · Common length: 20 cm · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 37 of 100 · Fishery importance: minor commercial · Aquarium trade: commercial.

FishBase notes: Found on coral reefs (Ref. 12204). Solitary or in small groups (Ref. 9710). Feeds on a wide variety of small bottom invertebrates such as mollusks, crustaceans, worms, sessile tunicates and sponges exposed by a jet of water ejected through the mouth (Ref. 9710). Marketed fresh locally (Ref. 3696). Toxins released when excited kill other fishes (Ref. 5521). Easily approached (Ref. 9710).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 1109) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Lactophrys-triqueter.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

28,182 georeferenced occurrence records for Lactophrys triqueter are published through GBIF from 42 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 115 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 16 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: United States of America (20,080); Puerto Rico (4,270); Guadeloupe (608); Virgin Islands (U.S.) (586); Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (575).

The full country table, WoRMS marine regions and the sampling notes are on this species' Distribution page.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2408093) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2408093&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=158932 (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 Lactophrys triqueter (Linnaeus, 1758) as Least Concern (code LC). 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 190363) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/190363/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2408093) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2408093/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

The smooth trunkfish was first formally described as Ostracion triqueter in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae with its type locality given as "India", in error for the Western Atlantic.

The smooth trunkfish is a member of the genus Lactophrys, a compound of lactaria, meaning "milkcow", and ophrys, meaning "eyebrow", a reference to the spines above the eyes resembling the horns of a cow (this resemblnce is also why some fishes in this family are known commonly as cowfish). The specific name, triqueter, means "three angled", a reference to this fish's triangular body when viewed head on.

The smooth trunkfish has an angular body sheathed in plate-like scales, growing to a maximum length of 47 cm, though 20 cm is a more normal size. The body is enclosed in a bony carapace and, when viewed from the front, is triangular in shape with a narrow top and wide base. The fish has a pointed snout with protuberant lips encircling a small mouth. The tail is shaped like a brush. The general background colour is dark with a pattern of small white spots, often in hexagonal groups giving a honeycomb-like appearance in the middle area of the body. The tip of the snout and the area round the pectoral fins are dark with few spots, and the eyes are black. The fins are usually yellowish, with a dark base and tip. They have only soft rays with no spines.

The juveniles have dark-colored bodies covered in large yellow spots. As they get older, they develop a pale area where the honeycomb markings will later appear.

The smooth trunkfish is found down to a depth of about 50 m on coral reefs and over sandy seabeds in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and the western Atlantic Ocean. The range extends from Canada and the Gulf of Maine southwards to Brazil.

The smooth trunkfish is normally solitary but sometimes moves around in small groups. It uses its protuberant lips to expel a jet of water in order to disturb the sandy seabed and reveal any shallowly buried benthic invertebrates, which it then feeds on. Molluscs, polychaete worms, acorn worms, peanut worms, small crustaceans, sponges and tunicates are among the invertebrates that this fish consumes.

In some regions, the smooth trunkfish is caught for human consumption. It is also sometimes kept in reef aquaria. Caution needs to be used, however, as it is capable of producing a toxic substance, ostracitoxin, in mucous secretions from the skin. When the fish is stressed, this is released into the water, and there have been examples of aquarium systems being poisoned by this, resulting in the loss of all other animal inhabitants.

Source: Wikipedia: Smooth trunkfish — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smooth_trunkfish (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.