Family OSTRACIIDAE

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Introduction

Santini et al. (2013) is followed in recognising the Aracanidae as a separate family, rather than a subfamily. Nelson (2006), however, presented arguments to treat the two groups as subfamilies. The two families differ in development of the bony carapace and some workers treat them as subfamilies. The family has a circumtropical distribution. The two families are distinctive in that they are characterised by a bony carapace. The Ostraciidae differs from the Aracanidae in lacking a ventral ridge on the carapace and having encasing armour that is closed behind the anal fin and sometimes behind the dorsal fin. Work by de Beaufort & Briggs (1962) included diagnoses for most tropical Australian species and the studies of Randall (1972), Shen & Lim (1973) and Matsuura (2001) included Australian species. Relationships of the family are treated by Winterbottom (1974), Tyler (1980), Leis (1984) and Santini & Tyler (2003). Relationships within the family have been treated by Klassen (1995) and Santini et al. (2013). There is considerable disagreement on the generic names recognised and some of the classification generally recognised is not supported by phylogenetic studies.

The Ostraciidae, as recognised here, commonly known as boxfishes, comprise about 20 species and seven genera (Nelson 2006), with four genera and 11 species known from Australia. There is some disagreement over generic definitions and some workers recognise only five or six genera. We place the previously recognised genus Rhynchostracion as a junior synonym of Ostracion. We retain Lactoria and Tetrosomus, but note that Klassen (1995) and Santini et al. (2013) have suggested that Lactoria and Tetrosomus are paraphyletic or not monophyletic. Previously no study has tried to resolve the definition, except for Santini et al. (2013) who suggesed retaining the two genera but moving fornisini to Tetrosomus, but we have retained the previous classification pending further studies.

Boxfishes are inshore marine inhabitants. They are diurnal with most species found on rock or coral reefs, or amongst weed beds. Their diet includes algae, polychaetes, gastropods, pelycypods, isopods, crabs and small fishes. Moyer (1979) described the spawning behaviour of Lactoria and Ostracion in Japanese seas. Some members of the family produce a toxic secretion, ostracitoxin, which probably is a deterrent to predators. The maximum size attained is 50–60 cm, but most species are under 20 cm.

 

General References

de Beaufort, L.F. & Briggs, J.C. 1962. The Fishes of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. 11. Scleroparei, Hypostomides, Pediculati, Plectognathi, Opisthomi, Discocephali, Xenopterygii. Leiden : Brill Vol. 11 481 pp. 100 figs.

Klassen, G.J. 1995. Phylogeny and biogeography of the Ostraciinae (Tetraodontiformes: Ostraciidae). Bulletin of Marine Science 57(2): 393-441

Leis, J.M. 1984. Tetradontiformes: Relationships. pp. 459-463 in Moser, H.G. et al. (eds). Ontogeny and Systematics of Fishes. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Special Publication 1: 1-760

Matsuura, K. 2001. Ostraciidae, Aracanidae, Triodontidae, Tetraodontidae. pp. 3948-3957 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 6 pp. 3381-4218.

Moyer, J.T. 1979. Mating strategies and reproductive behaviour of ostraciid fishes at Mijake-jima, Japan. Japanese Journal of Ichthyology 26(2): 148-160 figs 1-5

Nelson, J.S. 2006. Fishes of the World. Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 601 pp.

Randall, J.E. 1972. The Hawaiian trunkfishes of the genus Ostracion. Copeia 1972(4): 756-768 figs 1-10

Santini, F., Sorenson, L., Marcroft, T., Dornburg, A. & Alfaro, M.E. 2013. A multilocus molecular phylogeny of boxfishes (Aracanidae, Ostraciidae; Tetraodontiformes). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 66: 153-160

Santini, F. & Tyler, J.C. 2003. A phylogeny of the families of fossil and extant tetraodontiform fishes (Acanthomorpha, Tetraodontiformes), Upper Cretaceous to Recent. Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Zoology 139: 565-617

Shen, S.-C. & Lim, P.C. 1973. Ecological and morphological study on fish-fauna from the waters around Taiwan and its adjacent islands. 6. Study on the plectognath fishes. A. The family of ostraciontoid fishes, Ostraciontidae. Acta Oceanographica Taiwanica 3: 245-268 figs 1-13

Tyler, J.C. 1980. Osteology, phylogeny, and higher classification of the fishes of the order Plectognathi (Tetraodontiformes). National Marine Fisheries Service (U.S.). Technical Report 434: 1-422 figs 1-326

Winterbottom, R. 1974. The familial phylogeny of the Tetraodontiformes (Acanthopterygii : Pisces) as evidenced by their comparative myology. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 155: 1-102 figs 1-185

 

Common Name References

Edgar, G.J. 2000. Australian Marine Life: the plants and animals of temperate waters. Sydney : Reed New Holland Revised Edn, 544 pp. [512] (Cowfishes)

Pollard, J. (ed.) 1980. G.P. Whitley's Handbook of Australian Fishes. North Sydney : Jack Pollard Publishing Pty Ltd 629 pp. [316] (Boxfishes, Coffer Fishes, Trunkfishes)

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
		12-Feb-2010	(import)