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Thorny-back Cowfish
Lactoria fornasini (Bianconi, 1846)
A Thorny-back Cowfish at a depth of 12m Halifax Park, Port Stephens, New South Wales, January 2000. View larger image.
A Thorny-back Cowfish at a depth of 15m, Fly Point, Port Stephens, New South Wales, May 2003. View larger image.
The Thorny-back Cowfish is covered with hard bony armour. There is a pair of large spines projecting forward in front of the eyes. Another pair of spines projects posteriorly below the caudal fin from the rear of the ventro-lateral ridges. A single spine is positioned dorsally.
This species is green to brown with blue spots and dashes.
It grows to 20cm in length.
The Thorny-back Cowfish occurs in tropical, and some temperate marine waters of the Indo-Pacific.
In Australia it is known from southern to north-western Western Australia and from the northern coast of Queensland to the southern coast of New South Wales.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
