The boxfish Ostracion cubicus, previously recorded as O. tuberculatus Linnaeus in the Catalogue of Fishes of the Maldives, Vol. 1, page 102, produces a skin toxin when alarmed, like other boxfishes.
Details
§ 01
size
Max. 40 cm
color
Small juveniles bright yellow with small black spots. Larger fish brownish yellow with one white spot edged in black or rimmed with small black spots on each polygonal plate. Largest fish purplish brown, spots on carapace faint or absent, the grooves between polygonal plates yellow, specially ventrally on cheek. Fins with small dark spots on rays.
This species is commonly found on the edges and slopes of reefs, reaching depths of up to 25 meters. They are solitary and timid creatures, often taking refuge beneath overhangs on the reef. They are omnivorous.
distinctive characters
The dorsal fin has nine rays, the anal fin has nine rays, the pectoral fin has eleven rays, the carapace is quadrangular in cross section with concave sides, the body becomes more elongated with growth, large adults have a bump on the anterior of the snout, and the caudal fin is rounded.