Yellow boxfish
| Yellow boxfish | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Tetraodontiformes |
| Family: | Ostraciidae |
| Genus: | Ostracion |
| Species: | O. cubicum |
| Binomial name | |
| Ostracion cubicum | |
| Synonyms | |
The yellow boxfish (Ostracion cubicum) is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes. This species is found in reefs throughout the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean as well as the southeastern Atlantic Ocean, although since 2011 it has also been occasionally recorded in the Levantine waters of the Mediterranean Sea which it likely entered via the Suez Canal. The species is present in the aquarium trade. They are known for their cuboid body shape, bright yellow and black spotted coloration, and the secretion of a toxic mucus when threatened.