Chinese trumpetfish
Aulostomus chinensis
Eastern Atlantic Trumpetfish
Aulostomus strigosus
About
The Eastern Atlantic trumpetfish is a long, thin ambush hunter that can change colour at will. It drifts along reefs and rocky slopes, often lining itself up next to other fish so it can slip closer to prey unnoticed.
How to tell it apart
It can be confused with the west Atlantic trumpetfish, a close relative. The two species barely share the same range. Unlike its western relative, this trumpetfish never shows a silvery, streaked colour form.
Appearance
This fish has a very long, narrow body and a long tube-shaped snout with an upward-facing mouth at the tip. It can shift its colour between brown, blue, green, and orange tones, sometimes showing pale vertical or horizontal lines, sometimes dark mottling. Look for four white spots on the body between the back and belly fins, three white vertical lines near the base of the tail, and a black dot near the edge of the tail fin.
Habitat
It lives over rocky or coral bottoms in shallow water near shore, along the eastern Atlantic coast of Africa and the nearby Macaronesian islands, with a small group off Brazil. It seems to be uncommon wherever it lives.
Behaviour
This trumpetfish swims by rippling its back and side fins, and it is mostly active at night, sometimes gathering in loose groups. During courtship it puts on a colour-changing show, much like the dances of its relatives, the seahorses.
Diet
It hunts bony fish and shrimp, using its long snout to poke into narrow gaps in the rock for hidden prey. It often swims close beside bigger plant-eating fish, especially parrotfish, matching its colour to theirs so it can get near prey unseen. To catch smaller animals, it hangs still in the water with its head pointed down, striking when prey comes close.
Conservation
The Eastern Atlantic trumpetfish is listed as Least Concern. Its population trend is not known. It holds no interest for commercial fishing, but like other reef fish, it may be harmed over time by climate-driven changes to its habitat.
Did you know?
Of the 106 reef fish species found on both sides of the Atlantic, this is one of only four known to have first spread from the eastern side to the western side, rather than the other way around.
Log it in Into the Blue
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