Trunkfish, Lactophrys trigonus
Trunkfish, Lactophrys trigonus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, March 2023. Length: 16 cm (6.3 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of James LaFontaine, Long Island, New York.
Trunkfish, Lactophrys trigonus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Broward County, Florida, August 2021. Length: 25 cm (10 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Sebastian, Florida.
Trunkfish, Lactophrys trigonus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Islamorada, Florida, April 2012. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of George Brinkman, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Trunkfish, Lactophrys trigonus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Caye Ambergris, Belize, June 2013. Length: 33 cm (13 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).
The Trunkfish, Lactophrys trigonus, is a member of the Boxfish or Ostraciidae Family, that is also known as the Buffalo Trunkfish and in Mexico as chapin búfalo. There are three global members in the genus Lactophrys, and all three are found in Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
The Trunkfish has an oblong thick body with a humped back and are enclosed in a bony box formed by thickened, joined, enlarged, and hexagonal scale plates. They are light brown with a greenish tint and are covered with small diffuse white spots. They have two areas where the hexagonal plates have dark edges and form chain-like markings, one on the pectoral region and the other on the central body. These chain-like markings transition to an irregular dark reticulated pattern in mature individuals. Juveniles are orange to lime-green with scattered small white ringed dark spots that are darker around the pectoral fin and mid-body. Their box has openings for the mouth, eyes, gill slits, fins, and tail. Their body is triangular-shaped being narrow on top and wide at the base. Their head has a pointed snout with protuberant fleshy lips encircling a small mouth that opens in the front and is equipped with small conical teeth and short gill slits. Their anal has 2 sharp spines and is located far back in the body; their caudal fin is fan-like and rounded; their dorsal fins are far back on the body; and, they do not have pelvic fins. Their lateral line is inconspicuous.
The Trunkfish is a slow swimmer that is found in and around seagrass beds, mangroves, coral rubble areas, and offshore reefs at depths up to 50 m (165 feet). They are the largest of the trunkfish reaching 55 cm (22 inches) in length and 3.3 kg (6.6 lbs) in weight. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 3.31 kg (7 lbs 4 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off Palm Beach, Florida in April 2000. They feed on a wide variety of benthic invertebrates including crustaceans, mollusks, sea grasses, sessile tunicates, and worms. The Trunkfish is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.
In Mexican waters the Trunkfish is a resident of all waters of the Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.
The Trunkfish is similar in size and shape to several other trunkfish. They are most likely confused with the Smooth Trunkfish, Lactophrys triqueter (covered with small, white and very numerous spots).
From a conservation perspective the Trunkfish is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable widely distributed populations. They are considered to be an important food fish in many parts of the Caribbean.