Tetrosomus gibbosus

Tetrosomus gibbosus, commonly called camel cowfish because of the hump on its dorsal keel, is one of 22 species in the boxfish family, Ostraciidae.[2] It is a ray finned fish. Other common names include helmet cowfish, humpback turretfish and thornbacked boxfish. It is most closely related to T. reipublicae, the smallspine turretfish.[3] T. gibbosus is a species of boxfish found in the wide Indo-West Pacific. It has been recorded since 1988 on rare occasions in the Levantine waters of the Mediterranean Sea, likely following entry via the Suez Canal.[4] It is the first species from the family Ostraciidae to be found in the Mediterranean Sea.[5]

Camel cowfish
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Tetraodontiformes
Family: Ostraciidae
Genus: Tetrosomus
Species:
T. gibbosus
Binomial name
Tetrosomus gibbosus

It carries some value in the aquarium trade, but is difficult to keep.[6]

Description
Front view

T. gibbosus is normally around 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long when it is fully grown, but can reach up to 30 centimetres (12 in) in length.[7] Fish in the genus Tetrosomus are characterized by the presence of a carapace, a hard upper shell formed by thick scale plates.[3] The body is completely encased in this bony shell, except for a few small openings such as the mouth, eyes, and gills.[8] The mouth is small with fleshy lips and conical teeth usually numbering less than 15.[8]

Biology

T. gibbosus has poisonous flesh, organs, and spines, and is known to secret poisonous mucus in defense or when it is disturbed.[7] This poison can be fatal to humans or other marine organisms that come into contact with it.[7] T. gibbosus is hermaphroditic; all individuals of this species are born female, but some may change into males as they grow.[7] Juveniles live together in small schools, but individuals become solitary as they mature into adulthood.[7] T. gibbosus is an omnivorous species, and its diet is known to include seaweeds, sponges, molluscs, worms, and crustaceans found on the bottom of its habitat.[7]

Distribution and habitat

T. gibbosus lives in shallow tropical waters or warm seas with muddy bottoms and can sometimes be seen near shallow seagrass beds.[9][8] It is also found in coral reefs.[10] It is considered an endangered species in the South China Sea.[10]

Lessepsian migration

A Lessepsian migration refers to the migration of a marine species from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, facilitated by the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. A species is considered Lessepsian when it has completed this migration and established a population. T. gibbosus was first found in the Mediterranean Sea in 1988.[11] Both the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea have similar salinity levels and temperature ranges, which allows for an easier transition between of these bodies of water.[12][5] It is thought that Lessepsian species migrated due to changing climates, since the geographic land barrier was removed when the Suez Canal was completed.[11] T. gibbosus is now considered an invasive species in the Mediterranean Sea, as this is not included in its native distribution.[11] It is also considered an established species because it has established a growing population and has been found in multiple locations.[12] It is the first species from the family Ostraciidae to be found in the Mediterranean Sea.[5] Due to its inability to swim long distances, T. gibbosus likely took multiple generations to migrate from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea; this is thought to have happened, in part, from northward currents moving eggs and larvae north towards the Mediterranean Sea.[5]


References
  1. Matsuura, K. (2010). "Tetrosomus gibbosus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T154933A4671390. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T154933A4671390.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. Matsuura, Keiichi (11 November 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. doi:10.1007/s10228-014-0444-5.
  3. Santini, Francesco; Sorenson, Laurie; Marcroft, Tina; Dornburg, Alex; Alfaro, Michael E. (January 2013). "A multilocus molecular phylogeny of boxfishes (Aracanidae, Ostraciidae; Tetraodontiformes)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 66 (1): 153–160. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2012.09.022. PMID 23036494.
  4. Atlas of Exotic Fishes in the Mediterranean Sea (Tetrosomus gibbosus). 2nd Edition. 2021. 366p. CIESM Publishers, Paris, Monaco.https://ciesm.org/atlas/fishes_2nd_edition/Tetrosomus_gibbosus.pdf
  5. Foka, Maria; Economidis, Panos (2007). "Allochthonous and vagrant ichthyofauna in Hellenic marine and estuarine waters". Mediterranean Marine Science. Hellenic Centre for Marine Research. 8: 67–90. doi:10.12681/MMS.163. eISSN 1108-393X. ISSN 1791-6763. S2CID 83666960.
    This review cites this research.
    Spanier, E.; Goren, M. (May 1988). "An Indo-Pacific trunkfish Tetrosomus gibbosus (Linnaeus): first record of the family Ostracionidae in the Mediterranean". Journal of Fish Biology. 32 (5): 797–798. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.1988.tb05420.x. S2CID 84396752.
  6. "Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Helmet Cowfish". www.liveaquaria.com. Retrieved 2019-04-26.
  7. Ketabi, Ramin; Jamili, Shahla. "Tetrosomus gibbosus (Linnaeus, 1758)". aquaticcommons.org.
  8. Matsuura, Keiichi (11 November 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. doi:10.1007/s10228-014-0444-5.
  9. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2015). "Tetrosomus gibbosus" in FishBase. April 2015 version.
  10. Arai, Takaomi (12 September 2014). "Diversity and conservation of coral reef fishes in the Malaysian South China Sea". Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries. 25 (1): 85–101. doi:10.1007/s11160-014-9371-9. S2CID 14711917.
  11. Ben Rais Lasram, Frida; Mouillot, David (27 May 2008). "Increasing southern invasion enhances congruence between endemic and exotic Mediterranean fish fauna". Biological Invasions. 11 (3): 697–711. doi:10.1007/s10530-008-9284-4. S2CID 24327290.
  12. Mavruk, Sinan; Avsar, Dursun (14 August 2007). "Non-native fishes in the Mediterranean from the Red Sea, by way of the Suez Canal". Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries. 18 (3): 251–262. doi:10.1007/s11160-007-9073-7. S2CID 43648595.
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