Teleostei (teleosts) >
Tetraodontiformes (Puffers and filefishes) >
Ostraciidae (Boxfishes)
Etymology: Lactoria: Latin, concerned with milk (Ref. 45335).
Eponymy: Cavaliere Carlo Antonio Fornasini (1805–1865) was a collector who operated in the area around Inhambane, Mozambique (1839). [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 5 - 132 m (Ref. 89467), usually 6 - 30 m (Ref. 9710). Tropical; 32°N - 32°S
Indo-West Pacific: East Africa to the Hawaiian and Rapa Islands, north to southern Japan, south to Lord Howe Island. Southeast Atlantic: sometimes reaching the southeast coast of South Africa (Ref. 3141).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 23.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3141)
Inhabit clear outer lagoon and seaward reefs (Ref. 1602). Benthopelagic over rubble and sand at 5-132 m (Ref. 58302). Solitary (Ref. 90102). Males are highly territorial (Ref. 9710). Poisonous in some parts of the tropics (Ref. 7364).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Myers, R.F., 1991. Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p. (Ref. 1602)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Venomous
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: commercial
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 24.3 - 28.8, mean 27.5 °C (based on 776 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5625 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.03548 (0.01723 - 0.07305), b=2.81 (2.62 - 3.00), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.0 ±0.0 se; based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Fec assumed to be > 10,000).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (13 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 52.8 [23.2, 119.0] mg/100g; Iron = 0.669 [0.349, 1.496] mg/100g; Protein = 18 [16, 20] %; Omega3 = 0.125 [0.063, 0.239] g/100g; Selenium = 42.2 [21.5, 88.6] μg/100g; VitaminA = 57.6 [15.8, 212.9] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.29 [0.87, 1.91] mg/100g (wet weight);