Thornback Cowfish

Lactoria fornasini

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Tetraodontiformes
Family: Ostraciidae
Genus: Lactoria
Species: Lactoria fornasini

The thornback cowfish (Lactoria fornasini) is a small boxfish with two short horns above the eyes, a sharp spine in the middle of its back and a pale body marked with blue lines and spots.

It grows to about 15 cm and hovers over sand, rubble and seagrass, blowing jets of water into the sediment to uncover worms and small crustaceans. Its rigid box of bony plates and toxic skin keep most predators away.

The thornback cowfish is found across the Indo-Pacific, including the Philippines, where it is a rewarding find on sandy and muck sites. It is a smaller relative of the longhorn cowfish.