buffalo trunkfish
Lactophrys trigonus · Ostraciidae · omnivore
A boxfish with a box-shaped body, from Caribbean reefs and seagrass to Brazil, accepted in sport fishing and prized as food.
Also called: ostracião, peixe-cofre, chapín búfalo, buffalo trunkfish
- maximum
- 55 cm
- record/max.
- 3.3 kg
- depth
- 2–50 m
the right time
to be on the water
Choose the place and the species. The index, from 0 to 100, combines weather, sun, moon and tide with each fish's habits. Up to 28 days, with each day's confidence.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
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hour by hour
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
the fishing month at a glance
what's the best window for the crew?
Choose how many fishing days. We compare each stretch by its average index, discount days with a warning or closed season, and show the 3 best.
trend for the coming weeks
Line: the middle value of 31 simulations of the American GEFS model. Band: where 8 out of 10 fall. Narrow, firm trend; wide, high uncertainty.
everything about the buffalo trunkfish
who is the buffalo trunkfish
A fish of the family Ostraciidae, with a box-shaped body and a shell of hexagonal plates. It reaches 55 cm and up to 3.3 kg. It lives in seagrass, coral debris and reefs, down to 50 m deep, in subtropical waters. It eats small bottom invertebrates, such as mollusks, crustaceans, worms and tunicates, and also sea plants. It is caught both commercially and recreationally, and is highly prized as food in the Caribbean, but there are reports of ciguatera.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the buffalo trunkfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- It is also sold as an aquarium fish.
identification
A box-shaped body with small, scattered white spots. Some hexagonal plates have dark borders and form chain-like marks, one near the pectoral region and another halfway between the gills and the end of the shell. Large adults lose the white spots and take on an irregular dark pattern. The honeycomb cowfish (Acanthostracion polygonium) has hexagons outlined over its whole body, not chain-like marks.
where found
It occurs from the coast of Massachusetts, USA, to Brazil, with records from Bermuda, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.
Habitat: Seagrass, coral debris and shallow reefs, down to 50 m.
coast
rules for the buffalo trunkfish
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Conservation: Not on the Brazilian national list (Ministerial Ordinance GM/MMA No. 1.667/2026).
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
There are reports of ciguatera, a poisoning caused by a toxin that builds up in the flesh of reef fish. When in doubt, release the fish.
in the kitchen
Highly prized as food in the Caribbean, but there are reports of ciguatera: when in doubt, do not eat it.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.03715, b = 2.8; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Lactophrys trigonus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Lactophrys trigonusNames by country and language.
- official Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667, de 27 de abril de 2026: Lista Nacional Oficial de Espécies da Fauna Ameaçadas de Extinção (peixes e invertebrados aquáticos)The species is not on the list. Checked in the DOU of April 28, 2026.
similar species
where each number comes from
The weather comes from three independent global models, cross-checked hour by hour: when they agree, confidence goes up; when they diverge, the band between them shows on the chart. Beyond 16 days, we use the GEFS ensemble of 31 simulations: if 20 of the 31 predict rain, the chance of rain is 65%. Sun and moon are calculated astronomically, with no uncertainty.
The index adds up, weighted for each species: time of day (species curve anchored to real sunrise and sunset), moon (transits, rise and set, phase), pressure (3 h trend and 24 h swing), water temperature (in rivers, estimated from air temperature; at sea, estimated by an ocean model), wind, rain, clouds, tide and the month in the species' cycle.
sources for this lookup
how accurate the forecast is
Accuracy measured in the reference project (4 regions, 93 days, forecast vs. observed): maximum temperature is off by 0.6 °C on average the next day and 1.7 °C at 7 days; rain of 5 mm or more is detected 76% of the time the next day and 57% at 7 days. Detection isn't everything: the false alarm rate isn't published here yet, and 93 days in 4 regions is still a small sample. We now also measure every day, at the app's destinations: