Lactophrys is a genus of marineray-finned fishes belonging to the familyOstraciidae, the boxfishes. The boxfishes in this genus are found in the western Atlantic Ocean and are known as trunkfishes.
Lactophrys is a compound of lactaria, meaning a "milkcow", and ophrys, meaning "eyebrow", a reference to the spines above the eyes resembling the horns of a cow. Some fishes in this family are known as cowfishes.[4]
the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and subtropical parts of the western Atlantic Ocean.
Description
Lactophrys trunkfishes have thick oblong bodies, most of which is encased in a carapace made up of thickened and enlarged hexagonal plate-like scales that are joined to each other. There are gaps in this carapace for the mouth, eyes, gill slits, fins and tail, although the bases of the dorsal and anal fins are completely encircled by the carapace. To the rear of the dorsal fin the carapce may be closed but if it is open then there is in isolated oval plate-like svcale to the rear of the opening. This genus does not have spines at the eyes and sometimes has a spine at each corner of the lower rear carapace and there are no spine-like scales on the caudal peduncle. They have small mouths located at the front of the snout, with fleshy lips and a row of no more than 15 moderately sized conivcal teeth in each jaw. The gill slits are short and oblique and are to the front of the bases of the pectoral fins. The dorsa and anal fins are at the back of the carapace and the caudal peduncle is thin and flexible. The caudal fin is fan shaped.[7] The largest species in the genus is the buffalo trunkfish (L. trigonus) with a maximum published total length of 55 cm (22 in).[5]
Toxicity
Lactophrys trunkfishes, like other trunkfishes, secrete a colorless toxin from glands on its skin when touched. The toxin is only dangerous when ingested, so there is no immediate harm to divers. Predators however, as large as nurse sharks, can die as a result of eating a trunkfish.[8]
