Ostracion is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes.

These fishes are found in the Indo-Pacific region as far east as the eastern Pacific coasts of the Americas.

There ara pair of logitudinal ridges on the lwoer flanks but there are no spines on the carapacem which has gaps for the mouth, eyes, gill slits, fins abd caudal peduncle.

They do have a protruding snout with a small mouth which has fleshy lips and 15, or less, modereately sized conical teeth in each jaw.

The gill splits are short and oblique and sit to the front of the base of the pectoral fins.