Aracana is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Aracanidae, the deepwater boxfishes or temperate boxfishes. These fishes are endemic to the waters around Australia.
| Aracana | |
|---|---|
| |
| Aracana aurita | |
| |
| Aracana ornata | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Tetraodontiformes |
| Family: | Aracanidae |
| Genus: | Aracana J. E. Gray, 1838 |
| Type species | |
| Ostracion auritus Shaw, 1798
| |
Taxonomy
editAracana was first proposed as a monotypic subgenus of Ostracion in 1838 by the British zoologist John Edward Gray with O. auritus as its only species. By 1838 five species were classified in the genus and in 1866 Pieter Bleeker formally designated O. auritus as the type species of Aracana.[1] O. auritus was first described in 1798 by George Shaw with its type locality given as the "Islands of the Pacific", probably a reference to Tasmania.[2] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies this genus in the family Aracanidae which is in the suborder Ostracioidea within the order Tetraodontiformes.[3]
Etymology
editAracana was variously spelt by Gray as Acarana in 1833, Acerana in 1835 and Aracana in 1838. The 1838 name is the one used because it has become the most commonly used name. Grey did not explain the name but in 1835 he referred to boxfishes as "parrotfishes", so the name may refer the aracanga (Macrocercus aracanga), an old name for the scarlet macaw (Ara macao).[4]
Species
editThere are currently 2 recognized species in this genus:[5][6]
| Male | Female | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) |
 |
Aracana aurita (G. Shaw, 1798) | Striped cowfish | southern Australia (Perth to Sydney). |
| |
 |
Aracana ornata (J. E. Gray, 1838) | Ornate cowfish | southern Australia (Great Australian Bight to Bass Straight). |
Characteristics
editAracana cowfishes have short, deep, robust bodies that are almost completely enclosed in a carapace made up of large, thickened, bony plate-like scales. They have a keel along the ventral surface and large recurved spines along the ridges on the carapace.[7] A. aurita has a maximum published total length of 20 cm (7.9 in) while for A. ornata it is 15 cm (5.9 in).[5]
Distribution and habitat
editAracana cowfishes are endemic to the coasts of southern and western Australia from New South Wales south to Tasmania and west to Western Australia.[6] They are found in sheltered coastal waters, on rock reefs and sea grass beds.[7]
References
edit- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Aracanidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Aracana". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ Nelson, J.S.; Grande, T.C.; Wilson, M.V.H. (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 518–526. doi:10.1002/9781119174844. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6. LCCN 2015037522. OCLC 951899884. OL 25909650M.
- ^ Christopher Scharpf (21 August 2024). "Order TETRAODONTIFORMES: Families MOLIDAE, BALISTIDAE, MONACANTHIDAE, ARACANIDAE and OSTRACIIDAE". Christopher Scharpf. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Aracana". FishBase. June 2o24 version.
- ^ a b Matsuura, K. (2014). "Taxonomy and systematics of tetraodontiform fishes: a review focusing primarily on progress in the period from 1980 to 2014". Ichthyological Research. 62 (1): 72–113. Bibcode:2015IchtR..62...72M. doi:10.1007/s10228-014-0444-5.
- ^ a b Dianne J. Bray. "Aracana". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 23 September 2024.