Ostracion solorense Bleeker, 1853

Fin Ray Count

Ostracion solorense has nine soft rays in both its dorsal and anal fins.

Male Coloration

Mature males have an overall body color that ranges from bluish-grey to blackish. They have thin light blue sinuous lines on their back, a wide dark stripe containing paler wavy lines on the upper flank, and white spots with black margins along their flanks.

Female Coloration

Females have black lines on their upper body, and their sides are yellowish to greenish brown, marked with a network of black lines.

Cranial Morphology

This species has a characteristic bony protuberance positioned above the upper lip.

Maximum Size

The maximum published total length for Ostracion solorense is 12 cm (4.7 in).

Common Name and Distribution

This species, commonly called the reticulate boxfish, is distributed in the eastern Indian Ocean at Rowley Shoals and Christmas Island, and in the Pacific Ocean as far east as Palau and Fiji.

Habitat and Depth Range

It inhabits clear-water coastal reefs at depths between 1 and 20 m (3 ft 3 in to 65 ft 7 in).