Shaw's Cowfish

Aracana aurita has 10 or 11 soft rays in the dorsal fin and in the anal fin while there are 11 or 12 soft rays in both the pectoral fin and caudal fin. A stiff, boxy carapace made up of sculptured bony plates girds the body. This carapace has large recurved spines along its ridges. The dorsal and anal fins are set very far back on the body and are opposite each other. The bony plates on the caudal peduncle are less well developed than the carapace but they almost form a complete band in adults. The lines on the snout are nearly horizontal. They show sexual dimorphism in the colouration with the males having bright colouration with light blue wavy lines and spots on an orange background colour. The females and juveniles have a light orange to light brown overall colour marked with irregular brown and white sinuous lines or stripes.

Aracana aurita is endemic to southern Australia from Newcastle, New South Wales south to Tasmania west to Kalbarri, Western Australia. They are found in seagrass beds and offshore rocky reefs in sheltered waters in bays, harbours and inlets at depths between 10 and 160 m (33 and 525 ft).