Whitley's boxfish (Ostracion whitleyi)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Ostracion whitleyi · Authority: Fowler, 1931 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 278937.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Ostracion ornatus Hollard, 1857.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=278937 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 15.5 cm · Depth range: 3–27 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Fishery importance: of no interest · Aquarium trade: commercial.

FishBase notes: Inhabits clear lagoons and seaward reefs (Ref. 9710) as well as the quiet waters of the shore line. Benthopelagic (Ref. 58302). Feeds on algae and invertebrates (Ref. 89972).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 7862) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Ostracion-whitleyi.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

161 georeferenced occurrence records for Ostracion whitleyi are published through GBIF from 4 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 21 distinct locations from a sample of 161 records, omitting 3 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 (81); United States Minor Outlying Islands (40); French Polynesia (39); Mauritius (1).

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 5213783) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=5213783&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=278937 (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 Ostracion whitleyi Fowler, 1931 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 193744) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/193744/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 5213783) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/5213783/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Whitley's boxfish was first formally described in 1931 by the American zoologist Henry Weed Fowler with its type locality given as the Marquesas Islands. Fowler's name was a replaced ment for Ostracion ornatus proposed for this species by Henri Hollard in 1857 which was preoccupied by Ostracion (Aracana) ornata, a species described by John Edward Gray in 1838. This species is classified in the genus Ostracion which the 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies within the family Ostraciidae in the suborder Ostracioidea within the order Tetraodontiformes.

Whitley's boxfish is classified in the genus Ostracion, this name means "little box" and is an allusion to the shape of the body of its type species, O. cubicum. The specific name honours the British-born Australian ichthyologist Gilbert Percy Whitley, Whitley drew Fowler's attention to the fact that Hollard's name needed to be replaced.

Whitley's Boxfish is sexually dimorphic, the males have a navy blue body marked with a pale blue lines along the upper and lower sides and a black dorsal surface marked with pale blue spots. The female is a golden yellow in colour marked with white spots and there is a white band running along the flank. This species has a maximum published total length of 15.5 cm.

Whitley's boxfish is found in the Eastern Central Pacific Ocean where it occurs in the Hawaiian Islands, Johnston Atoll, the Marquesas Silands and the Tuamotu Islands. It is found at depths between 3 and 27 m in clear lagoons and seaward reefs.

Source: Wikipedia: Whitley's boxfish — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitley%27s_boxfish (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.