Longhorn Cowfish

Lactoria cornuta

A pair of long horns both on the brow and at the lower body ends.

Size : 46 cm

Habitat : In shallow lagoons and coastal reefs, inhabits sand, mud, rubble, algae rock and seagrass zones, 1-100 m. Loner, grazes the seabed for small invertebrates which it can also blow free with a water jet. Very long caudal fin, usually narrowly folded together, can be displayed like a fan.

Distribution : Red Sea, Gulf of Oman and East Africa to S Japan, Mariana Islands and French Polynesia.

Classification

KINGDOM

:

Animalia

PHYLUM

:

Chordata

CLASS

:

Actinopterygii

ORDER

:

Tetraodontiformes

FAMILY

:

Ostraciidae

GENUS

:

Lactoria

SPECIES

:

Lactoria cornuta

Other Information

Population Status

Not Evaluated (NE)

PHOTO COLLECTION

Reference

  1. inaturalist.org
  2. Reef Fishes of the Indo-Pacific. Book by Matthias Bergbauer and Manuela Kirschner